Help Me Live Again
by horsequeen1379
Summary: Some researchers in Colorado want to study the long-dead Pharaoh Ahkmenrah and some of his former things. However, when he returns to the Museum, his behavior is strangely altered. It turns out the researchers found out that he came to life at night, and experimented on him and the tablet.
1. Chapter 1: Research

**Hey everyone! This story is written to take place after the first NatM movie. **

**This deals especially with emotional drama, but I'm always open to suggestions for the chapters!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters, names, or events from the Night at the Museum films (directed by Shawn Levy). This work is purely for entertainment purposes (mine and the readers').**

**Read and review, please!**

Chapter 1: Research

Some scientists wanted to study Ahkmenrah's mummified remains through the new process called x-ray computer tomography. They said they could take 3-D images of the dead Pharaoh without damaging his linen wrappings. Naturally, the museum was happy to oblige. All in the name of history and science, of course.

This posed quite a problem for Larry Daley, night security guard of the Museum of Natural History… who knew that everyone in the museum came to life at night, including the Pharaoh. Because of this, he was no longer wrapped in the linen strips that the new technology was supposed to avoid damaging. Fortunately, when Ahk heard about the upcoming study, he was willing to help Larry correctly re-wrap him, tucking amulets in their proper places, with plenty of help from Google. Although it was a nerve-racking experience for both men, by the time the sun rose on the day the scientists would be collecting the mummy, Ahkmenrah looked as if he'd never been disturbed.

"Sir! Excuse me, sir, are you the night guard?" A small man who looked vaguely like a panda came waddling up to Larry, huffing and puffing for breath. "Heavens' sakes, it took so long to get here and I'm simply exhausted." He waved a hand in front of his face. He had a slight French accent, tiny spectacles, and friendly eyes that twinkled mischievously.

"Yes, I am. Do you have a van to take the artifacts in?"

"Certainly! Right outside. I'm Professor Fellowes, and I'm terribly excited to see your collection."

"I'm Larry Daley, and I'd be happy to show it to you." As soon as he was led into Ahkmenrah's tomb, the little man was in ecstatics, running around looking at everything.

"I do hope you haven't tampered with these?" he inquired sharply, noticing the display case full of Ahk's weapons. They were well polished, as the Pharaoh kept them, which wasn't how they were supposed to look. Oops.

"No, of course not. They've simply been spruced up and cleaned – only using the ancient Egyptian methods, of course." Larry wasn't actually sure that Windex and sandpaper were the methods Ahk would have used to clean his weapons while in Egypt, but he didn't bring that up.

"Well, all right. They do look to be in splendid condition." The man hurried over to the jackal-headed statues guarding the Pharaoh's tomb. "Anubis guardians with spears and all! Wonderful! I assume you've been told what I'm taking with me?"

"The sarcophagus, the mummy inside it, the weapons, clothing and other artifacts… and the Tablet of Ahkmenrah."

"Very good, very good. I'll get my assistants to come in here and carry the things out. Would you mind terribly if I went and sat down? I really am tired." Larry smiled and told him that, yes, it would be fine to get some rest.

"Colorado is quite the road trip away."

"Yes, it certainly is, and the institute couldn't afford a plane. But really, I don't mind. You see more of the sights in a van." The fat little man sat down and sighed in relief. "Do be careful with those artifacts, Mr. Daley!" he added, just before falling asleep.

x

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The scientists and historians did not realize that Ahkmenrah was alive. It was the second night he had spent in their facility and he was remaining quiet. So far, the tablet's glowing had been concealed by the crate it rested in as the researchers worked late, examining every inch of the Pharaoh's sarcophagus. They had been rather disturbed by the substances they had found on his weapons the night before and had decided to study them further at another time.

A young intern, named John, was organizing the artifacts when Professor Fellowes asked him to find the Pharaoh's crown and robes in one of the crates. Quickly, the young man checked two of the crates… and found not a crown, but a strangely glowing tablet.

"Hey Professor!" he called. "Is the tablet supposed to be doing this?"

"John, stay focused!" admonished Fellowes, hurrying over. "I said the crown and other clothing items; now would you please just find them and…" He stopped talking and slowly reached over to take the tablet away from the intern. "Dr. Radden, would you take this over to be analyzed? And do it quickly." The other researchers ceased all other activities and examined the tablet. One admitted, awkwardly, that holding it felt like he was plugged into a wall socket and being recharged.

"Perhaps not very scientific of me," he said, "but that's how it feels." Naturally, everyone was fascinated. Dr. Radden finally managed to get hold of the tablet and disappeared out of the room.

x

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Ahkmenrah was unaware of the discovery that had been made outside of his sarcophagus. His claustrophobia was really beginning to tax him, and he wasn't sure if he could go much longer without at least moving. He decided after a long moment to tap the lid of his sarcophagus and see if there was a response.

The light tap was met with only echoing silence, at least that Ahk could hear, so he carefully stretched as much as he was able in his wrappings and the tight coffin. He regretted it, however, when hitting the sides of the box only heightened his sense of fear.

He held out for perhaps another ten minutes before he had to try to open the sarcophagus. He pushed against the lid with all his might, and finally slammed his hands into it when it did not move.

x

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The researchers stopped discussing the tablet when the loud bang echoed through their laboratory. All eyes turned towards the sarcophagus, and not one man or woman missed the jump of the sarcophagus lid when the next loud bang issued from the box. John was clearly spooked as the sounds increased in number and volume, but Professor Fellowes wisely didn't indulge his fears.

"Go open that casket, John, and stand well out of the way." No one argued, and the young intern nervously walked forward and began to undo the locks on the casket. The banging only increased. As the last lock was opened, the young man jerked back when a mummified pair of hands shoved the lid away. It flew halfway across the room and slammed into some expensive equipment. Everyone but John stepped a little closer as Ahkmenrah sat up in his sarcophagus and started pulling off the wrappings around his head, layer by layer. It was strange; faced with death and all the scientists and historians could do was discuss how terribly fascinating it all was.

Expecting to see some grotesque, skull-like visage emerging from the wrappings, John was shocked to see a handsome young face with bronze skin and short black hair. The Pharaoh, looking as if he'd never been dead, stared at them all with a very uncomfortable expression on his face. He turned aside to cough, expelling a cloud of dust, then looked back at them. Although he still appeared nervous, an amused look crossed his face.

"You would not believe how stuffy it is in there," he said, cracking a wide grin. Everyone gaped at him.

"You speak perfect English!" gasped an older woman.

"Yes, I went to Cambridge University; Egyptology department. That was a good experience." The Pharaoh smiled. "This conversation is remarkably similar to the one I had with the night guard of my museum." Professor Fellowes stepped forward and bowed slightly, his chubby face wreathed in smiles.

"You will forgive us for staring," he said, politely. "We aren't used to long-dead kings coming to life out of nowhere."

"I can tell," said Ahk, nodding his head. He pulled the wrappings off his hands and offered one to the Professor. "Ahkmenrah, fourth king of the fourth kingdom, ruler of the land of my fathers. Pleased to meet you." The Professor shook his hand, then turned to his peers.

"My friends, may I suggest that we forget about the artifacts for now, except for that fabulous glowing tablet… there are some experiments that I should love to perform." Professor Fellowes smiled strangely, glancing over at the Pharaoh, who had walked over to retrieve the lid of his sarcophagus. "Yes, I really would like to start immediately."


	2. Chapter 2: The Results Are In

Chapter 2: The Results Are In

Everyone in the Museum of Natural History was looking forward to Ahk's return. By everyone, we mean Larry and Nicky Daley. No one else was able to miss the young pharaoh, since they were stuck in their frozen positions without the tablet that had left with him.

As the van that had carried Ahk away weeks earlier pulled up in front if the museum at about 7:00 P.M., Nicky rushed outside with Larry walking behind him more professionally. The driver's side door opened and a sturdy-looking young man climbed out. Nodding to the night guard, he carefully went around to the back of the van and opened it. Larry quickly went to help carry the artifacts back into the museum.

Professor Fellowes was smiling broadly as he also walked into the museum, the golden light of sunset gleaming through the windows. "Ah, Mr. Daley, it's good to see you."

"And you," grunted the security guard, setting the sarcophagus own in the elevator.

"We've made some fascinating discoveries in the name of science, although they're of a confidential nature. I don't think we'll be sharing them with anyone."

"Interesting, Professor," replied Larry, quickly closing the elevator doors. He wanted to get the sarcophagus in place and unlocked before the sun completely set. The Professor merely smiled at him and walked away.

x

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"I'm going to leave as soon as the rest of those artifacts are out of my vehicle," he called back, knowing that Larry couldn't hear him. He would rather not be around when the pharaoh awoke in the museum with all his weapons close at hand… no, certainly not… that would be a very unpleasant experience.

x

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Larry was relieved when the van finally left. He was just organizing everything in the exhibit the way it always was when the jackals started to move, looking into the tomb and seeing their pharaoh's sarcophagus. They appeared pleased to see things as they were meant to be. Rexy roared downstairs, and the lions did too. Everyone was awake… except for Ahk.

Larry checked the locks, concerned. The pharaoh should have gotten up by now. He knocked on the side of the casket, but there was no response. Carefully he lifted the lid and slid it off of the sarcophagus himself. He was surprised, to say the least, at the sight of the pharaoh. Although there were no major changes to his appearance, he was wearing a ratty gray t-shirt that was much too big for him and a pair of sweatpants. Obviously the researchers knew about the secrets of the tablet now.

"Ahk?" Larry asked, nervously. His friend's eyes were shut tight, but he was breathing and no longer a mummy, which meant that he was awake. "Ahk? Come on, get up. Are you ok?" Ahkmenrah sat up and opened his eyes, but that did not reassure the security guard. His eyes were wide open and wild, full of desperation and terror. "Woah, buddy, are you okay?" The pharaoh looked around, and seeing the familiar surroundings, appeared to calm somewhat. Climbing out of his sarcophagus, he walked around for a moment before stopping at his weapons case. The night guard immediately became wary and put a hand on his metal flashlight.

x

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Ahkmenrah was relieved to see his weapons within his reach. He could finally be revenged on his tormentors. He slipped open the glass box and took out his curved sword. He heard, as if from a great distance away, someone trying to talk to him.

_"__Ahk, what's going on? Are you ok? Talk to me, Ahk."_

x

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Larry was lucky he had stayed back and well away from Ahkmenrah, or the pharaoh's sudden attack would probably have killed him. Spinning around, Ahk swung his sword towards the night guard's throat. Larry stumbled away, stunned, as a slight cut opened on his neck. The younger man was staring at him with hostility, panting. Even the guardian jackals seemed to understand that something was wrong, because when their master pointed at Larry and commanded something in Egyptian, they did not move. Cursing, Ahk moved towards the night guard, glaring. Larry pulled out his flashlight nervously and bean to back away, towards the door.

"Dad?" Nicky came in, looking around for Ahk. "Where's…" He stammered to a stop and stared at Ahkmenrah, whose gaze had shifted to the nine-year-old.

"Nicky," Larry said, voice quiet and calm. "You need to run, and you need to run now." Nicholas didn't argue. He backed up a few steps and then turned around and sprinted away, and Larry faced the pharaoh alone. Ahk looked slightly confused and nervous; glancing down at his sword, he shuddered and stood still. "Ahk, I don't know what's going on, but I need you to calm down." At Larry's words, the pharaoh's head snapped up. Fear was visible in every move he made, and he suddenly turned his back on the night guard and threw the sword across the tomb, his arms visibly shaking. Worried, Larry quickly left the room. Pulling shut the new iron gates, he hurried downstairs to talk to Teddy.

x

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Teddy and Sacagawea were interrupted in the middle of a kiss when Lawrence came running up to them.

"Guys, it's Ahk. Something's wrong." Teddy hated to break away from Sacagawea, but when he saw his friend's bleeding neck he became serious at once.

"Great heavens, Lawrence! How did that happen?" Sacagawea quickly left to get the first aid kit from the security guard locker room for some bandages.

"Like I said, something's wrong with Ahk. He's not himself. His guards won't obey him, which is a little concerning. He was even frightening Nicky." Teddy frowned, worried.

"Sit down, my boy, and tell me in more detail." He listened carefully, feeling more and more worried, as the guard explained what had happened. "Lawrence, you remember when you first started here? And I told you how we hadn't let the pharaoh out for fifty-four years?"

"Yes," responded Lawrence, slowly.

"I'm afraid this is exactly why. No one was ever sure what kinds of dangerous things could happen, and here he is hurting you." As if to emphasize his point, Sacagawea came in with a pure-white roll of cloth and began to wrap up Lawrence's neck. "We have to keep him contained until we know what's going on."

"I think something's frightening him, Teddy. He doesn't seem like he is just trying to kill me out of violence… I think he thought I was going to hurt him."

"Whatever caused it, Lawrence," Teddy warned, determined not to change his mind, "You will leave those gates shut. There's no telling what his fear or anger or whatever it is could drive him to do next."


	3. Chapter 3: Confusion

Chapter 3: Confusion

Ahk wandered around his tomb, running his hands through his hair. He was shaking all over and couldn't seem to stop. His mind was telling him that any moment they would come back, would see he was loose, and punish him. They had told him many times just to stay where he belonged, in the sarcophagus. People would be safer that way, they said, and they were only trying to study the past. But occasionally a strange feeling would come over him, as if something was wrong, as if he wasn't acting normal. But the sensation would be gone before he could identify it. His jackals were watching him closely, their stony gazes making him nervous.

"Get out of my sight!" he snarled at them in English, before remembering to speak Egyptian. It was strange how fuzzy his memory was. He could only remember one person, and he had seen them earlier, which had only confused him more.

Nicky had looked so frightened. It was their fault again. Everything was their fault! The man who had stood there, trying to talk to him, he had scared the boy away. Ahk could think of no other explanation. He walked over to the wall and took down the tablet. He spoke some words in Egyptian, and a cold feeling washed through him. The noises that had been coming from outside ceased, and he dropped the golden artifact nervously. What had he just done

x

xx

Larry had been trying to convince Jed and Octavius away from Ahk's exhibit when they suddenly froze. Looking around, he saw all the museum's inhabitants except for a few random Civil War soldiers and Teddy's horse Texas were frozen. Fighting back a feeling of fear, he hurried upstairs, heart beating fast.

"Ahkmenrah? Hey Ahk!" The young pharaoh was standing with his head bent and his back to the gate, but at Larry's call he turned around. His eyes were wet with tears.

"I don't know what's wrong with me," he said quietly, fists clenched.

"Everything will be okay, Ahk. Just, I need you to use the tablet to wake everyone back up. If you don't, we'll all be in huge trouble tomorrow morning." Somehow Larry's words affected Ahk, who shook his head a few times, as if trying to clear it.

"I'll try," he muttered, walking over to the wall and taking the tablet down from its place. Carrying it towards the gate, he started to chant and pressed a few of the tiles into alignment. Larry was relieved to hear the sounds of the museum waking up, although they were mainly shouts of confusion and fear. Suddenly Ahk set down the tablet and bent over, grabbing his stomach as if it hurt him. "Stop!" he shouted staggering away from Larry. "Make it stop!" Against his better judgment, the night guard unlocked the gates and slipped into the exhibit, closing them behind him. The pharaoh whimpered in pain and fear and clutched his stomach tighter. "I'll get in the sarcophagus again," he promised. "Just stay away from me." Larry hurried over to him and placed his arms around the young man. He jerked back when Ahk struggled, eyes wild. "Don't touch me!" Larry backed away, and then, on an impulse, took all the weapons out of their case and carried them away. He'd tell Dr. McPhee that he was having them repaired, but Ahk couldn't be allowed to have them. If he didn't hurt someone else, he might hurt himself.

x

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Nick Daley couldn't understand why his friend Ahk was acting so strange. They had had plans to have a big party when Ahkmenrah got back, with music and soccer and pizza. His dad had told him to stay well away from Ahk, however, and Nicky knew better than to disobey. Larry had never looked so serious before.

Walking into the hall of miniatures, he spotted Jed sitting on the top of the train looking glum. "Hey Jed!" the boy called, grinning. "What's wrong?"

"Your dad won't let us go see Ahk. Says he's not right in the head."

"I know." Nicky sat down and rested his chin in his hands. "That doesn't seem fair, really. I've missed him."

"Us too, kid. I know I could get in there, but I can't even make it up the stairs." Jedidiah's face suddenly split into a broad smile. "Hey… what if I enlist Dexter to steal your dad's keys and keep 'im occupied for a while? You and I could go up and see the pharaoh and no one'd be the wiser." Nicky hesitated.

"I better not, Jed. You didn't see him, but he looked really mad. I don't know if that's changed at all."

"Aw, come on, kiddo! We don't even have to stay long. Just go in, say 'hi, your majesty we missed you', and get back out."

"Absolutely not, Jed." Nicky leaned back and closed his eyes. He really was worried about Ahk… "Fine. I'll get Dexter." Jed whooped and jumped off the train onto his horse.

"Now you're talkin', Nick!"

x

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Nick and Jedidiah watched from their hiding place as Dexter snuck up behind Larry. The monkey had agreed to help with only one condition: that Nick bring him a bottle of pop next time he came to visit. Silent as anything, Dexter slipped the keys off their cord and carried them over to Nicky, then darted back out and jumped onto Larry's shoulder. The night guard yelled and swatted at the capuchin, who started pulling his hair.

Nick pocketed the keys, grabbed Jed, and hurried upstairs. His dad, preoccupied with a screaming monkey latched to the top of his head, didn't see them. Walking to Ahk's tomb, Nicky felt nervous.

"Okay, Jed," he whispered. "We won't lock the gate when we go in. Just in case. If he even starts to go for his weapons, we run. Got that?" Jedidiah nodded.

"I'll remember, Nicky." He walked in between the bars and waited for his friend to unlock the gates and let himself in. Doing so, Nick was careful not to make eye contact with the jackals as he headed for the smaller door into the tomb.

Ahk was sitting against the wall, eyes closed. Not seeming to notice Nick's presence, he did not move.

"Ahkmenrah?" Nicky whispered. Immediately the pharaoh's eyes flew open, but seeing Nick he relaxed.

"Nicholas Daley." His voice sounded normal. "It's good to see you."

"You know who I am?"

"Why shouldn't I?"

"Well, you couldn't remember Dad." Ahk looked at him.

"I saw your dad? What does he look like?"

"Short black hair, kinda long nose, security guard uniform?" Ahk leaned forward, eyes flashing.

"He's not your dad, Nick. They'll tell you all kinds of things, but you can't listen." He ran a hand through his own dark hair. "Why are you here, anyway?"

"I come here a lot, Ahk."

"Why? Why would you want to keep coming back?" Jed tapped Nick's hand.

"Your dad was right. He's out of his head! But his weapons ain't in here anymore, which is good. Remember, 'hi, we missed you' and get out."

"Who's that?" Ahk leaned forward, looking genuinely interested. "He's tiny." Jed scowled. "Is he so small because of their experiments?" Ahk asked, suddenly, his gaze darkening.

"Um, no. He's small because he's one of the miniatures, from the hall downstairs. He comes to life every night because of your tablet. During the day he's made of plastic." Ahkmenrah fell back against the wall, his head making a small thud as it hit the stone.

"I don't understand, Nicky," he said, groaning. "I don't get it."

"You're in the Museum of Natural History, Ahk. Where you've been living for the past year or so. What's wrong? Why don't you know that already?"

"Nickolas, you have to help me," mumbled Ahk, hands clenched into fists. "You're the only person her I know. You have to help me understand what's going on."

"I tried," whispered Nick. "I'm sorry Ahk. I don't know what more I can do. The sun is rising; maybe you better get in your sarcophagus."

"Of course, yes." Ahkmenrah rose and walked slowly away from his visitors. Jedidiah nodded.

"Alrighty, Nick, let's git out while the gittin's good." They quickly slipped out, locking the gate behind them.

x

xx

Larry was waiting outside in the hallway, his eyes hard as flint. "Nicholas Daley," he said angrily. "That was the stupidest thing I have ever seen you do." Nicky dropped his head, unwilling to look his dad in the eye. "And you had to sic the monkey on me, too?! Really, Nick, I thought I taught you better than that. You could've been killed, or frightened half out of your wits, or something equally terrible and then I'd have to save you. And I could have lost all my hair."

"I don't think I could've, Dad," Nick mumbled. "Ahk remembers me, but he doesn't think you're my dad." Larry winced and picked up his only son, feeling tired.

"Take Jed back to his exhibit, son," he said, gently. "I'll talk to you more about this later."

x

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Dr. McPhee was perpetually in a hurry. Sometimes he was moving – and thinking – so fast that he didn't even finish his sentences. When this happened, he usually didn't realize it. Looking around his precious museum, he spotted Larry Daley hurrying towards him.

"Ah, Mr. Daley. I need to talk to you."

"Yeah, I know everything's a little bit messy today, but I had an emergency to deal with last night and…"

"Larry, I _thought_ you had this job under control. I really did. So I don't understand what all… this… is." He gestured at the messy foyer. "Is it really so difficult to just keep this place clean while you're working, Mr. Daley?"

"No. No, it's not, but –"

"Then, please, just… get it together before the guests arrive? Please?" Larry nodded, and Dr. McPhee felt a rush of satisfaction. All was right in his world again.


	4. Chapter 4: Experiments

**Hey everyone! Thanks for the follows and favorites! I'm struggling a little bit with this chapter so we'll see how it turns out.**

**Thank you to _keacdragon_ and _ShiningGalaxy_ for being so encouraging and consistent in their comments, and to _Bexi_ for mentioning that Jed or Nicky needed to talk to Larry about how easily Ahk got in his sarcophagus… I wrote that to be strange but never really thought about just ****_how_**** weird it was.**

**To everyone who's wondering what they've done to Ahk, I might or might not clear up a little**** of that confusion in this chapter bwahahahaaaaa!**

**Thanks guys, and as always, please read and review!**

Chapter 4: Experiments

Teddy felt the familiar disorienting sensation of waking up, his wax limbs and features becoming soft and pliable again. He sighed and sheathed his sword. Beneath him, Texas tossed his head and shuddered his skin as if trying to dislodge flies, restless and ready to have his tack removed. Unfortunately, Teddy made him wait for another few minutes. Anxious to find Larry, he carefully urged his gelding up the stairs. He trotted over to Ahk's tomb and stationed himself outside, waiting for the night guard to come up.

The evening before he had done a lot of thinking. He had finally come to a conclusion that only strengthened as time went on… and Lawrence must know of it.

"Teddy!" Speak of the Devil, here he was now. "Hey, Teddy."

"How are you this evening, Lawrence?"

"I'm fine. What are you doing up here?"

"Waiting for you." Teddy swung off Texas' back. He quickly unbuckled the horse's saddle girth and bridle. Removing both, he swatted his hindquarters and watched him trot away, head held high. "A fine animal. Now, my dear Lawrence, I need you to understand me. I fear that our friend Ahk has become dangerous."

"Dangerous? What do you mean?"

"How does your neck feel, Lawrence?" Teddy asked bluntly. He saw Lawrence's face fall as his hand drifted up to his bandage. "I want you to leave Ahkmenrah in his sarcophagus tonight." Larry looked up, shocked.

"No! It was one thing leaving the gates closed, Teddy, but this is completely different! You know Ahk can't stand it in there!"

"My boy, I'm afraid we must. I understand that you're the guard and it is your responsibility to look after us, but I refuse to stand by and allow you to endanger yourself and the others in this museum for the sake of one pharaoh." Teddy wished more than anything he didn't have to do this. It hurt him, too, just to think of leaving Ahk trapped again.

"What happens if he never returns to normal, Teddy?" The President sighed and put a firm hand on Larry's shoulder.

"Then we leave him in there for another 54 years, I suppose." He tried to smile but failed; he quickly adjusted his spectacles and prepared to leave Lawrence alone. He didn't know what the night guard would do, but it was to be hoped that he would take his advice and leave Ahk locked up, at least for tonight.

x

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Larry hurried to Dr. McPhee's office to find a phone number. A suspicion had been growing in his mind, and he had to check up on it. There could be no coincidence that the day Ahk had gotten back from Colorado he had begun to act so strange, and he had to know more about the situation before deciding whether to do as Teddy said or not.

x

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Professor Edwin Fellowes was having a wonderful day. He had gone golfing with two of his peers and won by a full fifty points, had had a splendid debate on morality while at a café with the same two men, and now was sitting in his extremely comfortable office chair at his expensive mahogany desk, feeling as content as a dog who has caught its tail at last.

Leaning back, he took a long sip of his coffee, looked out the window at his marvelous view of the Rocky Mountains, and began tidying up his things before going home to see his lovely wife and perfect children for a nice home-cooked meal. Wasn't he just he luckiest of men?

His benevolent attitude was not disturbed in the least by the ringing of the phone. Humming a few notes of Pachelbel's Cannon, he picked up the receiver.

"Good morning, Professor Fellowes at your service!"

"Professor." The terse greeting made the little man wince; he sensed this would not be a particularly pleasant conversation.

"Who, may I ask, is calling this fine night?" he asked, in an attempt to be cheery. His previous good mood was disappearing far too quickly for his liking.

"Lawrence Daley." Oh, no. Edwin felt tempted to hang up, then and there. The night guard was the last person he wanted to talk to this evening.

"Ah, Mr. Daley. How is everything?"

"I'm not calling to exchange niceties," growled the voice on the other end of the line. The Professor sighed. "I want to know what you did to Ahkmenrah."

"The Pharaoh? We did nothing. If you're referring to his clothes, they're obviously more comfortable than those stuffy linen bandages he had on before."

"I have a three inch long cut on my neck from an ancient Egyptian khopesh," snapped Larry, "And I want to know why. Ahk's never been violent like this before."

"I am sorry about your neck, Mr. Daley. I suppose I ought to tell you, then, that we did perform some experiments on him. After all, it's not every day you can study a four thousand year old pharaoh."

"What kind of experiments?"

"Nothing much, at first," explained Edwin Fellowes, taking a sip of coffee to bolster his nerves. "Just a routine check-up like a child gets at the doctor. You know, testing his reflexes (which were splendid, by the way), shining a light in his eye, listening to his heart, that kind of thing."

"And later?"

"Be patient, Larry, I'm getting there. Other than missing lungs and intestines and a few other organs, he was in stunning physical condition. No diseases, strong muscles, great reflexes, perfect vision… It was impressive. Anyways, we thought that here was our chance to find out how some new medicines impact a human body and what some of the side effects were."

"You did what?!" Mr. Daley sounded unreasonably angry and shocked. "Do you have any idea how modern medicine would affect his body?"

"Now we do. And we can definitively say that there are some medicines that should never be sold as such. Poisons, more like."

"How could you do that to him?"

"He's a mummy, Larry. I'm not sure what you're so worked up about, really. I can understand you are confused, perhaps, but he's only a mummy. A dead mummy. A friendly one with a nice accent, maybe, but he's not really alive." Mr. Daley was utterly silent, and Professor Fellowes groaned. "Really, I don't see why you can't understand this."

"You know he's still in pain. And terrified of everyone who comes near him."

"Yes; that is a shame. I'm rather sorry about that. But what we've discovered with his help will benefit people!"

"But not him! It won't benefit him!"

"He'll be fine eventually, I'm sure, Larry. We weren't so careless as to give him strychnine or anything. Please don't make such a big deal about this."

"A big deal…" How deadly serious the security guard sounded! Edwin was beginning to develop a migraine. "Well, Professor, how would your feel if you were experimented on as if you were nothing more than a lab rat with no emotions worth noticing?" The line clicked dead and Professor Fellowes gladly hung up his own phone. What an exhausting conversation! Mr. Daley's parting words really hadn't been pleasant. Oh, wonderful, and now he was late for dinner. His wife served the food promptly at eight, and here it was eight fifteen. Bother long distance calls and bother research!

x

xx

Larry was very tempted to drop-kick the phone across the room, but realized Dr. McPhee would have a fit if he did so and restrained himself. Cursing, he ran his hands through his hair and headed out of the curator's office, hoping to find Jed. Unfortunately, as he passed the Hall of African Mammals, he heard a vicious low growl coming from within. Stopping at the door, he saw the two lionesses facing each other, crouching low, their tails lashing back and forth. Their ears were pinned back, and they were staring at each other angrily. Groaning, Larry walked a little closer and shouted at them.

"Hey! Both of you, knock it off!" The big cats didn't even twitch their ears. The male lion was nowhere in sight, and Larry sighed. Walking even closer, he pulled out his flashlight and pointed at the larger of the two females, who had hissed and begun to make her way forward on silent paws. "Don't you do it!" The cat ignored him, growling louder now and squaring her shoulders to pounce. Larry saw her leap and darted between the animals, bringing his flashlight up to land squarely on her nose. The lioness yowled in pain and jerked back, and Larry glared at her. "What have I told you about fighting when Simba isn't around?" he snapped, angry. Turning, he smacked the other cat on the nose. "Both of you just behave!" he yelled. The lionesses were looking at him now with a mixture of resentment and confusion. Normally he didn't talk so loud or hit them so hard when they fought, but he was fed up. Just this once he wanted a normal job with normal coworkers and no capuchins, lions, Indians, or horses to deal with.

"Lawrence!" Larry turned to face Teddy, who looked rather put out. "Lawrence, why did you just hit them so hard? You know how sensitive their noses are."

"Teddy, I don't want to talk right now, okay?" Larry said, tired. "Do you know where Jed is?"

"I'll tell you where Jed is if you'll help me find Texas. That horse can disappear sometimes, I'll tell you." Larry agreed, and Teddy pointed the way. "He's talking to Octavius by the Mayan exhibit." Larry thanked his friend and jogged off.

Sure enough, Jedidiah was standing by the Mayan world, making faces at the tiny people inside as they shot darts at him. "Hey Jed!" The cowboy turned, grinning at Larry.

"Hey Gigantor! What can I do fer ya?" The night guard crouched down so he was closer to eye level with his miniature friend.

"Jed, I haven't had a chance to talk to Nicky, so I need your help. I want you to tell me what you thought about Ahk when you so foolishly visited him last night." Jed looked down, growing serious.

"I guess I better, Gigantor. I ain't sure where to start though." Larry shrugged.

"What bothered you the most about his behavior?"

"That's easy, partner. He got in his sarcophagus early. Easy as you like."

"Really…"

"Yeah. Nicky suggested he go ahead and get in, and he agreed. Like he'd rather be in it than out. And he couldn't remember anything about the museum. He even called me tiny!" Larry nodded once. That only confirmed his fears… the experiments Professor Fellowes had subjected the pharaoh to had done damage far worse than mere physical pain.

Now he had to go find Texas.

x

xx

Ahk was terrified. He had been in his sarcophagus for far longer than normal, and although he thought perhaps it was safer for him that way, it was causing him to panic. His stomach hurt, his head hurt, and he was locked in a box barely big enough for him. He squeezed his eyes shut, praying to all the gods… he didn't know what he wanted. "Osiris help me," he muttered, clenching his hands into fists. He heard a roar from somewhere nearby and shuddered; he did not want to leave. The noise and confusion would only make his head hurt more. He fell into a restless sleep full of strange dreams of people and places he once knew.

**Note:**** Ahkmenrah prays to Osiris because there is an Egyptian myth that says that Set once locked the god in a sarcophagus made to fit Osiris perfectly in order to murder him.**


	5. Chapter 5: Flashback

**Oh no! Everyone, hold onto your hats. We are about to have a whole chapter from Ahk's POV. Just to clarify, this flashback isn't being experienced by Ahk himself, but is merely for your benefit. I look into the future and see all of his fans yelling out for the death of Professor Fellowes.**

**Thank you ****_keacdragon_**** for the idea of doing a flashback… I wasn't going to, but now I think it's the best thing for this situation.**

**To ****_Oddments and Tweaks_****: I was totally thinking X-rays, MRIs, and all that jazz. And yes, my horrible brain is working on that ****J**

**To ****_Dragonninja-fan_****: I started reading those, but then I got caught up with Percy Jackson and left the poor Kane siblings in the dust.**

Chapter 5: Flashback

The man called Dr. Grayson was shining a light in Ahk's eye. The young pharaoh thought it was odd that anyone should find anything out by such strange methods. They had tapped his knee with a small hammer and made his leg jerk; the doctor had seemed rather pleased by this. All of it seemed like foolishness, but he submitted to it willingly enough. Professor Fellowes had told him it was nothing unusual.

Ahk wanted to get this over with so he could go home as soon as possible. Now that their original plans for research were ruined, he expected that they would send him home after studying his things for a while. They had given him some clothes to wear; Ahk didn't know why these pants he had on were called sweatpants, but they were extremely comfortable.

Dr. Grayson put away the little instrument he had used to examine Ahk's eye and smiled. "We're finished now, Pharaoh." Ahk smiled and got off the table he was sitting on, stretching.

"Do you mind if I do a little exploring, Doctor?" he asked. "Staying in my sarcophagus for so long has made my legs stiff." He saw a look of consternation cross the man's face and hastened to reassure him, marveling at how ridiculous modern people could be. "I'll stay out of everyone's way, don't worry. And I won't go anywhere." The doctor shook his head.

"No, Ahk, you had best stay here."

"Why?" asked Ahk, crossing his arms over his chest.

"Because Professor Fellowes wants you to," said the doctor. He looked nervous and uncomfortable. Ahk decided to comply with his wishes for now and nodded, causing the man to sigh in relief.

Later, however, the pharaoh managed to slip out of the lab where his sarcophagus was kept and began to walk the halls, feeling as he had the night he first explored the Museum of Natural History. He still felt strange not wearing his crown and cloak, but this way if anyone happened to run into him they wouldn't be frightened.

"Excuse me! Sir, you aren't supposed to…" Ahk turned to face whoever was speaking to see John, the young intern. "Oh! It's, um… it's you! Sorry, I just… You aren't supposed to be out here." Ahk bowed slightly.

"You're John, correct?"

"Yes, but um… Really, King Ahkmenrah, you'll get in trouble for being gone. I was supposed to come find you."

"It seems you have. But I don't know about my getting in trouble." Ahk smiled. "I am, after all, a rather powerful pharaoh."

"Yeah, well…" John couldn't stop stammering, and his face was red with embarrassment.

"Don't worry, I'll come back with you if they need me. And you don't have to call me King Ahkmenrah… just Ahk will do." John frowned and looked at the floor.

"I don't know, sir," he mumbled. He sounded guilty. "Maybe I just better not." Ahkmenrah felt a chill run down his spine, but did not let his discomfort show.

"You say you were sent to fetch me. Well, young man, let's go."

…

Stepping into the room, Ahk was mildly surprised at the number of fearful and angry faces that he saw. He inclined his head just slightly to Professor Fellowes as John hurried over to stand by himself, a little distance away from the others.

"Pharaoh," said the Professor, frowning. "Why did you leave this room after Dr. Grayson told you we did not want you to?"

"I'm a pharaoh, as you so wisely mentioned," Ahk said simply. "And pharaohs aren't accustomed to following the orders of a healer. I don't think there was any danger of my frightening anyone at this time of night." The Professor scowled.

"Here, you aren't a pharaoh. Here you're just a mummy." Ahk drew himself up tall, disgusted at the little man's hubris. Several of the people in the room stepped back, seeming frightened.

"Excuse me? I understand that you brought me here as a mummy to be studied, but there's no need to be so disrespectful."

"Oh no? Knowing that you come to life at night thanks to your tablet changes nothing. During the day we study you as we would any mummy, and at night… That is when any studies we perform would be especially useful ones." Ahk narrowed his eyes.

"You are avoiding the main point. I am the only one of noble birth here, not to mention the only one with weapons to speak of."

"Are you threatening me?" Professor Fellowes looked unconcerned.

"Possibly." Ahkmenrah stepped closer to the shorter man. "All I'm asking is that you would allow me to spend my evening as I wish, and that you would send me home at the time agreed upon. Naturally, if you refuse the first request, there is little you can do to enforce your refusal. As for the second, I believe that is easy enough to arrange." Professor Fellowes smiled strangely.

"Of course you will leave at the time Dr. McPhee and I agreed upon. However, Pharaoh, I'm not so sure about you being allowed to do as you choose. I really think it is best for all concerned that you stay in this room and the adjoining rooms for the time being."

"Give me one good reason, Professor, why you believe that."

"Because you are unpredictable, Ahkmenrah."

"That's not a good reason, since it's not true." Fellowes sighed and rubbed his temples.

"There's another reason I could give you, but I should prefer not to make things unpleasant. So please, Pharaoh, I would ask you to trust me on this. Mr. Daley would not have entrusted you to my care if he did not think me trustworthy." Ahk considered this for a long moment, then shook his head.

"I'm sorry, Professor, but I can't just sit in these rooms doing nothing every night for these next three weeks."

"Yes I know, Ahkmenrah, but I'm afraid you must." Ahkmenrah heard the door open and turned; three men in uniforms similar to Larry's walked in. They were muscular and all business, and Ahk's eyes flashed angrily.

"Now you are threatening me," he stated, facing the small Professor.

"Yes, I suppose I am. I really do hate to do this, but none of us are sure what you're capable of, and we really think it safer to all involved if you stay in these rooms." Ahk looked at John, whose face was red with shame. The pharaoh moved towards him to reassure him, because although he was disappointed in the young man, he understood. Unfortunately, both the Professor and the security guards mistook his intentions. Before he really understood what was happening, heavy fists struck his head and back. Spinning around he fought back fiercely, fury turning his gaze red.

But even the battle-trained pharaoh could not stand up to the three men for long without being fatigued. Although at first the men could not seem to hit him, it was nearly impossible to keep an eye on all three at once. Punishing blows to his head, shoulders, and stomach began to take their toll. One particularly violent strike to the back of his head sent him reeling, and strong arms grabbed him and forced him back until he was in his sarcophagus, dazed and bleeding. The lid slammed shut and the locks were clicked into place. Ahkmenrah cursed and beat his already injured fists against the coffin lid, anger and pride rushing hotly through him. But no one paid any mind to him, and he wasted his strength trying to get out until the sun rose, fighting a feeling of helplessness.

…

The next evening, Ahk immediately noticed a change. Only four scientists, other than Professor Fellowes, stood waiting for him. The security guards from the evening before were also in the room, watching him closely. John was nowhere to be seen. Ahk proudly faced the men in the room, feeling deep disdain for all of them.

"Today, Pharaoh, we were hoping to draw some blood and test your DNA… things of that nature. You understand that all these tests are still in order to understand more about history and about the human body?"

"I understand perfectly," Ahk said with cold civility, refusing to show how angry he was. However, the Professor, although seemingly harmless and definitely overweight, was no idiot. He gave Ahk a narrow look.

"I hope that means you will cooperate?"

"It does. As much as I may dislike you, sir, I can't say I hate the rest of humanity so much. As I think perhaps your studies may help people, I will allow you to continue."

"Good. I'm glad to hear it, although really you don't have a choice in the matter." Ahk did not even deign to reply; just crossed his arms and watched the Professor. "Today we will merely be performing a few more studies just to have a clearer picture of your fitness. First off, I should like to take a few X-rays." Professor Fellowes briefly described how the X-rays would take photos of his bones, and then they took him to a dim room with a table and a machine and laid him on the table. Laying some sort of heavy apron over him, they left the room. This was repeated multiple times until finally he was allowed to get up. On the way back to the lab containing his sarcophagus, Ahk noticed John watching them, but as soon as he made eye contact with the young man he turned and walked away.

Back in the lab, the scientists again explained that they wanted to take photos of the inside of his body, but not his bones this time. As they explained the MRI machine and what it would do and how he was supposed to stay still, Ahkmenrah grew afraid. He tried to stifle the feeling but it only came back stronger than ever. However, he was a pharaoh and knew that not a one of the men could see his consternation.

When he actually began to undergo the scan, however, he felt himself panicking. The space was so small. Bigger than his sarcophagus, yes, but still too small. There were strange sounds coming from the machine, and the procedure felt endless. Finally unable to stand it, Ahk tried to sit up, his breathing feeling much too fast and loud. He heard a curse echoing throughout the room and the sounds from the machine stopped.

As soon as he was again in the room, an irate Professor Fellowes faced him, practically standing on tip-toe in an attempt to look Ahk in the eyes.

"You idiot! I told you, don't move or the images will be blurred! And you deliberately sat up?!"

"Yes, I did." Ahkmenrah hated how powerless he felt in this world of technology and machinery. He knew next to nothing about any of it, while these professors and scientists knew everything.

One of the security guards suddenly punched him in the jaw. Surprised, Ahk staggered, and the two men grabbed him. He felt a sharp stab in his arm. Alarmed, he jerked away.

"That was merely a sedative, Pharaoh," the little man said. "It will allow us to do this MRI without you spoiling it again." Ahk felt strange, as if thick wool was being put in his brain and slowing his thoughts. And when he was again sent through the machine, the fear he felt was tiny, barely worth noticing… and so were all his other emotions.

Thus began a long week of experiments, some which left him feeling barely different, and others which wrecked him. He gave up trying to cooperate and fought against the scientists and the security guards whenever he had even one hand free to do so with. He had fits of dizziness, nausea, migraines, nervous spasms, several mild seizures, and heartburn. Eventually the researchers had to strap him to a table by his wrists, elbows, ankles, and knees whenever they wanted to test a medicine or drug because Ahk would struggle so much. John occasionally came in to see him, on the days that his side effects were so bad that he was left alone. The man looked so somber when he did, and spoke little.

One day, when Ahk was suffering from some confusion and lightheadedness due to a new drug, John came in. Ahkmenrah, however, could not remember his name and had to shamefacedly ask him to remind him of it.

"It's John, Ahk." The young man looked down at the floor, handing Ahk a water bottle as he usually did. Ahkmenrah drank thirstily, but only a few moments later threw up.

"Tell them to add nausea to their list of side effects," spat Ahkmenrah, angry. John did not look at him.

"I could help, you know. I could help you leave."

"No, John. That would only get you in trouble, and if I'm outside this place when dawn comes without my tablet, I'll turn to dust. Besides, you know they never leave me alone unless I'm in a condition like this." Ahk slammed his hand onto a table beside him, disgusted.

"I don't mind the trouble."

"It wouldn't work! I'd end up permanently dead, or be brought back here and beaten. And you know it." He saw the young man's expression change, and Ahk softened his tone. "I know you're trying to make up for what you feel like you've done to me, but it's fine. Really. I can make it. I only have to survive two more weeks of this."

Ahk had no idea how much of a difference two weeks could make.


	6. Chapter 6: Flashback - part 2

**Wow! Guys, I have to apologize to all of you whose hearts I've broken/shattered/snapped/torn etc. I would advise NOT reading this chapter if the last chapter has already broken your heart. If it hasn't, I applaud you! ;) **

**This will probably be one of the creepier and more depressing chapters, and for that I apologize. From now on, I promise to have at least one cute/funny/sweet part in every chapter. Gotta keep it light!**

**Thank you for following and favoriting, and please Read and Review!**

Chapter 6: Flashback - part 2

Maybe Ahkmenrah would have made it to the end of the three weeks, still defiant, if it weren't for a chain of events that begun on the second Saturday he had spent in Colorado. He had ceased being openly defiant and merely did as he was told, watching his tormentors with icy hatred. Every night was the same routine of needles, pills, and probably pain. Professor Fellowes wanted to try giving him organs in place of the ones he no longer had, but they all agreed that that would be a waste of time, money, and, well, important body parts.

John began to be allowed to watch their experiments, since he was an intern, and had apparently promised to cause no trouble. Although he clearly did not enjoy it, he stood and watched, doing and saying nothing. Ahk was glad to have the young man in the room with him.

On the Saturday mentioned earlier, one of the usual scientists was not at work due to having caught the flu. This gave everyone the idea of testing a flu shot on Ahk; after all, it would be best if he was immune since it was flu season. Ahk had developed a minor fear of needles, but he stoically watched as they filled a syringe with liquid. John, however, was not so calm.

"Professor, have you really thought this through properly?" he asked.

"Of course I have," said Fellowes, turning back to Ahk.

"It's just, sir, that he will have absolutely no natural ability to combat the disease. Even the immunization might be dangerous to him."

"John, I've thought of all that. I assure you, he'll be alright." The Professor eyed his intern. "Here, why don't you do it? It's about time I gave you something to do. With Dr. Neal gone, someone will have to do some of his jobs over the next few days." Ahk looked over at John. The young man's jaw was clenched, and he was looking at the syringe which Professor Fellowes held out to him.

"Maybe I'd better not," he suggested. "I'm not sure where to put the needle."

"I'll show you where, you ridiculous boy! Come on now, we haven't got all day." John caught Ahk's eye. They both knew what was happening, even though the Professor did not and could not. This was a monumental choice that the intern was being forced to make: continue to help and befriend Ahkmenrah, or keep the respect of his teacher?

The choice should have been nonexistent, but Ahk knew that John might struggle to choose. There was a good deal of the puppy in the young man: the desire to please everyone and anyone, even those who they did not particularly like. Ahk looked straight at his friend and willed him to make the right decision, although he had very little doubt of what he would choose. Unfortunately, John surprised him. Turning to Professor Fellowes, he shrugged.

"Where do you want me to inject it?" His voice trembled, and Ahk tried not to allow his sudden rush of emotion to overtake him. Betrayed. He should have known. The weak-willed liar! Ahk jerked at his bonds, refusing to look at John when the man took hold of his upper arm and carefully pressed the plunger of the needle.

It wasn't the actual action that hurt Ahk. It was the implications it carried. The simple act had meant that John was siding with the pharaoh's tormentors, however unwillingly. That he respected the sadistic Professor more than he respected the young pharaoh who had refused to give up disappointed Ahkmenrah extremely.

His misery was compounded the next evening when he woke up with a raging fever. He felt both hot and cold, and his sarcophagus was very uncomfortable. He adjusted his position constantly, fighting back his frustration and weariness. He finally managed to turn partially on his side and lay there, eyes shut, hoping to fall asleep. Unfortunately, he was too hot and uncomfortable to do anything but stay awake.

Still trying to sleep, he was startled by the familiar clicks of his sarcophagus being unlocked. Groaning, he turned over to his back. Expecting to see John, or a scientist, he felt a start of fear when one of the security guards was the one to shove away the coffin lid. But the man didn't look stern or angry, as he normally did. He beckoned Ahk to get out, but he did not move. He did not want to endure more experimenting.

"It's fine, Pharaoh," the man said gesturing backward. "There's no one in here. Just thought you could use to stretch out." Cautiously, Ahk climbed out of the sarcophagus. Keeping a wary eye on the guard, he walked around the room, stretching his legs and swinging his arms vigorously, glad of the cool air on his skin. He stopped at the door and opened it, giving the guard a questioning glance. The man waved him forward as if to say it was fine, so Ahkmenrah slipped out of the room and began to wander. He felt his spirits lift slightly at the unexpected freedom.

This did not last. Ahk knew at once he had been tricked when rough hands pushed him up against the wall and an equally rough voice cursed at him for not staying in the room. A heavy beating followed, leaving Ahk gasping for air on the floor as the guard who had lied to him kicked him again and again.

He could almost feel his self-control snap. He curled in on himself and clenched his jaw, refusing to move, arms thrown up to protect his head and face. Something about this whole situation was so fundamentally wrong, although he couldn't specifically remember why. Security guards weren't supposed to be like this, were they? Somehow he knew they weren't – and the thought disappeared when a heavy foot slammed into his stomach.

_Lied to again_, he heard someone say. _Betrayed, first by John, now by this man. Everyone will betray you. It's only a matter of time_. He fought the words but they kept on coming. _Everyone is false._

The security guard was immediately fired the next day, the doctors all being justifiably horrified and angry at the awful bruises and broken bones that Ahk refused to explain. However, the guard's own broken knuckles explained themselves, and Professor Fellowes was furious. Perhaps the man would not hesitate to use force to get the scientific results he wanted, but even he was not so cruel that he would condone first lying to and then beating a sick man to unconsciousness.

Ahk did not care. He did not care about anything. There was no relief for him, whether he was in pain or otherwise. His faith in the human race as a whole was shaken and virtually nonexistent. He lost track of time, and although in actuality the experimenting lessened and finally ceased, he knew nothing of it. Even the realization that he was to go home never fully registered. Did he even have a home anymore? He wasn't sure.


	7. I want your input!

**Hey guys! Sorry, but this is not a new chapter; this is kind of like a poll. And I again apologize for breaking your hearts -_- I'm trying really hard not too ;)**

**Out of these options, what do you want to see?**

_**a. Some parts of the chapters in one of the jackal guard's POV**_

_**b. A whole chapter from Nicky's POV**_

_**c. Ahkmenrah nearly hurting Nicky before regaining his self control/being stopped**_

_**d. Ahkmenrah injuring Sacagawea :(**_

_**e. Other; tell me in a review!**_

**You guys are the readers, so I really love getting your input! Your wish is my command. Keep it classy and be creative!**

**Peace! **


	8. Chapter 7: Clues

**Wow! I'm so surprised at all the suggestions! Please keep 'em coming! This chapter will contain some of option D since I was already writing a chapter and that one fit the best. I know C was the most popular besides this one, so that will probably happen within the next 2 chapters (after this one). I might use some of A too, eventually, if it fits in the story… So, keep letting me know what you think and what you want to see next and I will try to make it work!**

**Thanks, guys! **

Chapter 7: Clues

Larry Daley stopped at the drive-thru window at Subway and ordered a BLT, his stomach complaining noisily from lack of food. After paying for the sub and driving off, he parked on the street outside the museum and leaned back in his seat, opening the plastic bag of food. He took a huge bite of the delicious sandwich, and a glob of mayonnaise dripped onto his sleeve. Oops. He wiped it off with a napkin quickly and continued eating.

Normally he would have eaten mac'n'cheese or rice or something that he had made at home, but he'd run out of time tonight. First he'd cut his finger rather badly, then after patching that up he'd accidentally spilled coffee all over the carpet, and after managing to get it cleaned up some, he had realized it was time to go to work. And he couldn't be late because if he was late then all kinds of unpleasant problems could arise.

Which of course drew his mind back to Ahk. The pharaoh's predicament bothered Larry more than he would admit to anyone, even Teddy. It just seemed so strange; Ahkmenrah's attitude was similar to that of a wild animal's. Illogical fight or flight. Sometimes he fought, but more often he tried to escape. Whatever option caused him the least amount of pain and fear, he chose that. It seemed as if he didn't even think before he acted. This was nothing like the pharaoh Larry knew. Even more worrying, there hadn't been a sound from him the night before, when Larry did not let him out of his coffin. At all.

Tonight, Larry decided as he checked his watch, he would let Ahk out. No matter what Teddy said, they would never be able to help him if they continued to leave him trapped. He would only get more frightened, more (much as he hated to say it) dangerous. He opened the door to his car and got out, unzipping his light jacket. The fall weather was surprisingly warm, and he took a deep breath of the cool air, allowing himself a small smile. The sky was a creamy gray color until it collided with the sun, where a brilliant splash of golden clouds spread out like a peacock's tail. In a world of so much beauty, it was easy to believe that Ahk really would be fine. Perhaps it was all just some huge practical joke… but of course it couldn't be.

…

As soon as Larry closed the museum door behind him, Rex charged forward to meet him, his whole skeletal body wagging with pleasure. Larry rubbed his nose and walked past, nodding to Teddy. He made straight for the stairs, taking them two at a time.

"Lawrence!" He did not respond. Hurrying down the hall, he hurried into Ahk's tomb. He heard Teddy's hasty footsteps behind him, and the President came into the tomb, puffing a little. Carefully, Larry shut the sturdy iron gate and locked it, then walked past the jackals without making eye contact. They growled ominously but did not move. "Lawrence, good evening…" prompted Teddy, sounding annoyed. Larry turned to face him.

"Hi, Teddy. Sorry, I just… I'm going to let him out today."

"I know." Larry nodded once and walked over to the sarcophagus. Unlocking it, he pulled off the lid. Then he retreated a few steps back. Ahk sat up after a moment, looking around. Seeing Larry, he narrowed his eyes and did not move to get out fully. Larry also did not move. Teddy looked back and forth between the two men, but said nothing.

"That won't work this time," growled Ahk suddenly. Larry nodded once, hiding his confusion, and just watched him. Ahk's eyes flicked around the room, as if searching for something.

"Tell you what, Ahk," Larry said, turning as if he was going to leave. "I'll open the gates and you can get reacquainted with the Museum tonight –" Teddy held up a hand.

"Hold on, Lawrence. Have you really thought through this?"

"No, Teddy, I haven't. But this is my decision, all right?" Ahk flinched at Larry's loud tone. "Ahk, you can go anywhere you want tonight. You can let your jackals go with you, too, in case you're worried about anything," he promised. "No one will bother you, and if they do, they'll be hearing from me." Ahk very cautiously climbed out of his coffin, looking at Larry with suspicion. Larry responded by walking to the gate and unlocking it. Pushing it open, he walked out. He heard Teddy follow more slowly, but ignored him.

"Dum-dum," came the deep, grating voice of the Ester Island head. "You bring me gum-gum?" Larry dug out a wad of Big League Chew from his pocket and tossed it to him. The stone figure immediately started blowing a huge bubble.

Attila the Hun came rushing up to him, followed by all his armored warriors. Larry clapped his friend on the back and let out a whoosh of air as the Hun responded with a similar hefty blow.

"Hey, Attila, you're the just the wax man I wanted to see," Larry said, after he was able to breathe again. "Would you mind going around and letting everyone know they should leave Ahk alone tonight? He doesn't feel good, so everyone should be quiet and polite. Got that?" Attila nodded and shouted a few commands to his warriors. Immediately they all split up and started running through the museum. In only about ten minutes, everything was very, very quiet. It made Larry uncomfortable, but it was better this way. If Ahk felt safer because of his efforts, then it was worth it.

As if on cue, heavy, grating footsteps were heard as the two stone jackals exited the tomb along with Ahk. The pharaoh took a cautious look around, and Larry was struck by just how different he looked. Without his crown, cloak, and jewels, he looked like any normal, nervous eighteen-year-old. His stained t-shirt (Larry did not particularly want to know about everything that had caused those stains) and equally dirty sweatpants made him look tired and scrawny. The night guard felt sympathy welling up inside him. The pharaoh no longer seemed able to guard his face, as he usually did, and every emotion he experienced flashed in his eyes, as easy to read as a picture book.

Ahkmenrah currently looked frightened and angry. When he rapped out an order in Egyptian, the jackals each took a step forward and leveled their spears at Larry. He carefully lifted his hands. The odds of him surviving a direct attack from the stone guards were not good; he might be faster, but they would not give up and were definitely larger than him.

"Ahk," he said, his tone calm and (hopefully) comforting, "Ahk, I promise to keep my distance. If I get closer to you than five feet without your permission, the jackals can skewer me, kill me, anything you want. But I do have to do my job, so would you mind getting them to lower their spears?" He knew the jackals understood him, but he also knew they probably would not move without their master's consent.

The pharaoh seemed to be struggling with his emotions. He bowed his head and stood very still for a painfully long moment. Then he looked up, and the pain and fury in his eyes frightened Larry. "Very well." He gestured dismissively and his guards raised their spears. Larry exhaled in relief, but too soon. "But…" Ahk's word hung in the air, echoing. "I will kill you myself if you touch me again."

Ooookayyy. So, clearly he had a problem. Larry was tempted to call Professor Fellowes again, but he did not. However, he had a better idea. Ahk was like a second son to him. And really, he and Nicky were very similar. So what would he think if Nicky was acting like this, all scientific mumbo-jumbo aside?

_I would probably think he was in trouble_, though Larry. _Maybe being bullied in class_… All right, so his idea yielded few actual helpful results. The truth was, the situation was just too strange and bizarre. But maybe Nick could talk to the pharaoh again – Larry knew the jackals would never let Ahk hurt him. And it seemed as if his nine-year-old son was the only person in the Museum who did not confuse Ahk.

But for tonight, it was probably best that he keep his distance… while stalking him. He had to stay close enough that if anything unpleasant should happen, he would be there.

…

Ahk walked through the building, not sure where he was going. He walked carefully, his guards flanking him. He came to a room that was blue-ish in color, with large fake-looking waves rising up some ten feet off the floor. He walked through the door between them and was met by the strange face of a large animal. The animal made a whistling noise and sprayed him with water. Spluttering, startled, he heard a light footstep behind him. The sound was familiar; someone was trying to sneak up on him. He whirled around, fist already forming, and slammed his knuckles into Sacagawea's jaw. She dropped like a stone.

He was shocked. He knew he would never have ordinarily have hit a woman. _Run_, the voice hissed at him. _Get out_. Panicking, he began breathing too fast. Where to go? Suddenly a strong pair of arms wrapped around him from behind. He shouted in terror and began struggling, kicking and flailing, but the grip of the arms did not loosen. His breathing was ragged, and he stopped fighting and sank to the floor. The arms did not try to hold him up.

"Please don't hurt me," he begged, sobbing. "Please don't. I'm sorry, I never meant to hit her. I swear. Don't hurt me." Whoever was holding him did not let go, but instead loosened their grip slightly. A gentle hand began to rub his shoulder and upper arm, and he stiffened. He knew the pain would come soon. It always did.

…

Teddy was rather behind Sacagawea. They had been walking together, and then she had suddenly taken off running. He did his best to keep up, but lagged nonetheless. So when he got to the Ocean World and saw her lying on the ground – his beautiful, wonderful Sacagawea – he nearly had the wax equivalent of a heart attack.

"Sacagawea!" He ran into the room and dropped to his knees next to her. A light bruise was forming on her jaw. Thankfully, it only took a few smacks on the check and a long kiss to wake her up. Once she had reassured him that she was fine, he looked up. Ahk was practically sitting on Lawrence's lap as the guard rocked him like a small child, whimpering in fear. His shoulders were shaking, and one hand was still clenched in a tight fist. "Lawrence, whose fault was this?" He felt his anger growing, because he was fairly certain what had happened. He forced his temper down by brushing a loose strand of Sacagawea's hair behind her ear. She smiled gently at him.

"Teddy, it was an accident. She was walking quietly as usual, and the whale had startled him, and he didn't know it was her. He says he didn't meant to."

"Lawrence, I mean no offense to the pharaoh, but perhaps he cannot be trusted."

"Look at him, Teddy! Does he look like he's intentionally hurting people to you?"

"No, Lawrence, I suppose not." Teddy glanced at Sacagawea, who let her hair down so she could re-braid it. He ran his fingers through it.

"Teddy," she said to him. "He speaks the truth. I should have given him more warning that I was coming." The President looked at the floor. His spectacles began to grow misty, so he removed them and polished them on his sleeve.

He looked over at Lawrence and Ahkmenrah. The pharaoh was still trembling, although he had gone silent. Larry had scooted away from the younger man and was sitting quietly, watching him. Teddy himself was not sure what to make of the pharaoh's appearance.

"I know you let him out and don't intend to change your mind, Lawrence, but I think we must not lock him up again."

"No! Don't leave me in there." Ahk had become aware of their conversation. "I did not intend to hurt her." For a moment, he sounded almost like his old self; his voice took on the calm, lilting tone they were all so familiar with. Teddy scowled and clenched a fist tight – then, in a very deliberate way, opened it again and let his hand drop.

"I won't, Ahk," Larry promised. But the eighteen-year-old's face had become a mask of fear yet again, and any progress that may have been made was lost. Barking a command in Egyptian, he stood and took off running. The jackals growled fiercely at the others in the room, as if daring them to follow their master, then they too marched away.

Teddy sighed tiredly and took his hat off, feeling old. Until, of course, Sacagawea leaned forward, wrapped her arms around his neck, and kissed him. He certainly loved this woman.


	9. Chapter 8: Being Understood

**Here's another chapter... yay! Thank you guys for all your suggestions! This chapter is shorter, but I had a busy weekend so :)**

Chapter 9: Being Understood

They felt guilty. Both of them. They were failing their Pharaoh. First they had let him leave and he had come back in this horrible condition. He was in less pain now, but at first… it was shameful how little help they had been to him. Then they had let him leave his tomb and he had hurt someone who he didn't want to hurt and ended up humiliating himself. Now he hadn't left his tomb for three straight days and they couldn't do a thing about it. Even twenty-foot tall jackals can't do everything.

The jackal-headed guards, fashioned to look like Anubis, had originally had an easy job. For upwards of three thousand years they had stood guard in the heart of Ahkmenrah's tomb, killing any trespassers. They had never had to distinguish enemy from friend before, and they still had not grown very good at it. They knew that the dark-haired woman and night guardian and his small son were not enemies, but lately they had been very confused. They had been ordered, twice now, to kill the night guardian, and their master had hit the woman three nights ago. They were being very cautious, because if they outright disobeyed their Pharaoh then he might call the curses of the gods upon them, but if they obeyed him they could end up having to hurt someone important. And they knew that the night guardian was there to keep all of them – and the Tablet – safe.

Watching Ahkmenrah, the older jackal (that is, the one that had been carved first) sighed. It is a strange sensation for a tireless statue to feel weary, but it seemed so wrong seeing the pharaoh cry. And he had been doing a lot of that lately. He was no longer in pain, as he had been for the first few days after his arrival, but the slightest sound made him flinch. He occasionally screamed at them, in Egyptian and in English, to go away, to leave him alone, to keep everyone out… and invariably they obeyed. What else could they do? It was, after all, the only meaning of their existence. To guard and protect the pharaoh from all harm. Even if he did not look much like a pharaoh at the time…

The jackal took a few steps towards the outer door of the tomb as the night guardian came near; his brother followed more reluctantly. Planting his spear on the floor and growling, he dared the guardian to pass. No ordinary warrior should be allowed to see the Pharaoh cry. The man held up his hands.

"Please let me pass, guys. I'm kinda worried about your master." So were they, of course, but that changed nothing. Neither guardian moved. The man, clearly frustrated, shouted, "Ahk! Ahkmenrah! Would your jackals let me pass?" There was no response from the inner tomb, so the jackals lowered their spears and began to walk steadily forward, forcing the intruder back. The night guardian held out his hands, pleaded with them. "Come on, guys, I can help him!" It was possible, but the Pharaoh wanted to be left alone. Finally the night guardian gave up and left, and the jackals stood still again, feeling useless.

…

Ahk had stopped crying by the time Sacagawea came to see him. All pain and discoloration from the bruise on her jaw was gone. It had actually hurt her quite a bit when Ahkmenrah had punched her, but she did not tell Teddy. He was angry enough as it was, and she didn't want him to worry. Walking past the jackals, who did not even blink at her, she stopped before entering the inner part of the tomb. Ahk was simply standing and watching her, but when she made eye contact with him, he looked down and the floor and shoved his hands in his pockets. Sacagawea thought it looked like he was trying to hold his hands still – as if he was afraid of hurting her again.

Still he would not look at her. If Teddy knew she had come in here, he would not be happy. But what could she do? The whole museum knew now that there was something wrong with Ahk, and several exhibits had come to her to see if she would talk to him. Attila wisely realized that his armor, hot temper, and sword would not be particularly comforting to Ahkmenrah, and the Civil War soldiers couldn't talk anyways. Columbus did _not_ have good social skills, and Dexter… well, he was a monkey. Enough said.

Silently Sacagawea crossed the distance between the two of them and stood in front of him. Waited. Waited so long that she wondered if he was ever going to say the words. She knew what he was feeling, to some extent. So she waited.

"I'm sorry. I'm ashamed of myself," he finally said. There they were. The words. He sounded like himself… except that his voice was trembling and small.

"I know, Ahk," she said, quiet. "But I'm all right. Everyone is worried about you."

"Everyone…" he scoffed, still not looking up. He was actually looking at the pattern of beads on her moccasins, fascinated, but she had no way of knowing that.

"Yes, Ahk. Everyone." She didn't think he believed her, since she saw him pushing his hands deeper into his pockets. She walked away from him to give him some space and stopped at the table with his royal robes on it. His crown looked neglected; it barely shone anymore. She felt a wave of sadness rush over her. She knew Ahk well… at least, the old Ahk. This pharaoh was different, and the Shoshone tracker understood why. Fear.

Fear was a powerful emotion. Sacagawea had seen it make the smallest animals turn and fight a predator much bigger than themselves, but she had also seen it make a bear turn and run from a swarm of insects that weren't even close to its size. Fear of pain. Fear of death. And she saw the signs of deep fear all through Ahkmenrah's actions.

Turning, she saw him watching her carefully. She smiled a little and walked back to him, still as silent as ever. He looked tired.

"I'm not angry, Ahkmenrah," she told him. "You will be okay. We promise." She leaned forward, kissed him on the cheek, and left as calmly as she'd come.

…

Ahk, bewildered, reached up and touched his cheek slowly. Turning, he walked over to the table full of his clothes and picked up his crown. Polishing it lightly with one hand, he saw a faint shine light up its curved edges. He did not, however, put it on. Instead he dropped it with no further ceremony. It's clang sounded like a death knell. Rubbing his face with his left hand, he took several faltering steps back and away from the royal robes. Then he spun around and sprinted out of his tomb into the much brighter balcony area. He leaned against the railing and took several deep breaths, trying hard to fight through the fog in his mind. He remembered Nicky yes, but not much about him. He remembered his name… and a soccer match. He and the boy against several others who seemed made of mist. He tried to force the mist to dissipate, to let him see who the people were, but with no success. He clenched his fists, all his energy turned inward, trying to dig the memories out of him that he knew were there. Why did all these people think they knew him? He let out a frustrated yell as he almost remembered… and then the moment was gone. Slamming a fist into the railing, he sagged to the floor.

Redemption often comes only at the darkest moment of the heart, when a person has no hope left. When they find themselves alone, and everything they thought they knew is gone, then, and only then, can they begin to rebuild. Ahk had not yet reached this lowest point, so although his pain was gone, the process of healing could not yet really begin.

He left the balcony and walked back into his tomb, knowing that the sun would come up in a few minutes. He climbed into his sarcophagus and pulled the lid closed. It was not long before a cold feeling washed through him and his skin cracked and dried, turning him back into a dead mummy.


	10. Chapter 9: Rock Bottom

**Finally, here is the ever popular OPTION C that you have all been asking for! Sorry, Nicky, but I guess we are the worst fans in the world and hate you now.**

**This chapter ended up being almost twice as long as I had been planning, so the part that would have been the ending is going to be in the next chapter.**

**Here's another poll for ya'll!**

**Out of these options, what sounds the most interesting? Option B I'll almost definitely do anyway unless everyone thinks it sounds boring.**

**a. seeing an average day at school for Nicky**

**b. After Ahk's recovery, Professor comes and has a small chat with him because Ahkmenrah requested it **

**c. Nicky's bully friends (who we will meet in this chapter) are brought to the museum at night and Teddy teaches them a lesson.**

Chapter 10: Rock Bottom

Nicky was happy to get back into the museum. His dad almost didn't let him come, until he promised that he would stay away from Ahk unless he had either Larry or Teddy with him. Thankfully, his dad wanted to have Nicky talk to Ahk anyways. Apparently over the past week, the pharaoh had been acting more and more withdrawn and fearful. He attacked almost anyone who came near him, except for Sacagawea. His dad was trying to make it sound like it wasn't a big deal, but Nicky was worried. His dad had never looked so tired or stressed with his job since he started.

Nicky dropped his backpack off in the security guard locker room. It contained his extra set of clothes (sometimes the exhibits got messy, especially the cavemen), his flashlight, and his reading homework. It was only about fifteen minutes until the sun set and the exhibits would come to life, so he pulled out his book (Peter Pan by J.M. Barrie) and started reading. Just as he got to the scene where Peter declares that "to die will be an awfully big adventure", the familiar hum and buzz of the museum waking up met his ears. Reluctantly he shut his book and got up. Rexy roared as he came out the door, panting like an oversized puppy. Nick laughed and ran over to the dinosaur, scratching his nose.

"Who's a good boy?" he asked, and Rex shook from head to bony tail and roared his answer. "Yeah! You are! Yeah!" He grinned and jogged away.

"Good evening, Nicholas!" called Teddy, eyes bright. "It's been a while since we've seen you here."

"Yeah, I got grounded for talking to Ahk without permission." Oh, boy. Nicky was surprised to see Teddy's eyes cloud with anger. "Is something wrong?"

"No! Certainly not, Nick. I was just… thinking." Nicky was not convinced, but he grinned, nodded, and hurried upstairs to find Sacagawea. He liked her. She was like his mom, but nicer. Only maybe you weren't supposed to compare your mom to a wax figure… She was sitting on the bare back of one of the stagecoach horses, who were unhitched from their traces as usual. She was singing in a strange, lilting language and stroking the animal's neck.

"Hi, Sacagawea!" he called. She turned and smiled her sweet, radiant smile at him.

"Nick!"

"I missed you!" He ran over and gave her horse a hug, and she slipped off its back and hugged him. Nicky thought it was funny how even stuffed horses that weren't really alive had that horsey smell – like hay and warm clothes and rain and sweat.

"I missed you too, Mr. Daley," she teased. "I thought you'd up and gotten a job!"

"A job?" gaped Nicky. "I wouldn't get a job yet! Besides, I don't want to grow up yet." Sacagawea laughed.

"That's funny, Nick. What makes you say a thing like that?" He explained to her about Peter Pan and Neverland, and how he was reading the "real whole book" in class. This made her laugh for a long time. "So you will go to this magic island and never grow up?"

"No! I was kidding. This museum is better than some old magic island anyway." Sacagawea laughed again. Nicky was the best at making her laugh. He pulled a strange face, which made her stare at him for a moment and then laugh again. Nicky caught himself thinking that she liked him even better than Teddy. She didn't laugh this much around the President, just him.

Still making faces, he was startled and vaguely embarrassed when he felt his dad's hand on his shoulder. "Hey Nicky," Larry said. "I think we should talk to Ahk now. I want you to go in by yourself because, well… what I told you about earlier." Right. Attacking everyone in sight. "Teddy will go up with you but stay out of the way; I think Ahk especially hates me for some reason so it's safer if Teddy's the one with you." Safer, thought Nick. I've never had to be safe from Ahk before. It scared him.

…

Ahkmenrah was near the end of his rope. When Larry told Nicky that he had been attacking everyone who came near him, it was true. Out of panic and growing confusion, he could see only enemies wherever he looked. The voices he sometimes heard, which were really the voices of fear and bitterness, were very loud. He could sometimes have up to five minutes where he came back to himself, remembered things, and knew that he was a true pharaoh. But once these spaces of time ended, he was worse than before and did not actually realize that he had experienced anything unusual.

When Nicky walked into his tomb, Ahk experienced a moment of panic before reminding himself that this was the boy he knew. He ran over to him and gave him a hug, something that he had not done in a long time. Nicky was taken by surprise, but hugged his friend back.

"I missed you, Ahk!" he said, smiling broadly. His grin slipped a bit when he saw how tired Ahkmenrah looked, but did not let that worry him. He was here to help, not worry like he was Ahk's mom or something.

"I think I missed you, too, Nick," said the pharaoh, smiling a little bit. The boy bounced on his heels like he was anxious to run or jump around. Ahk walked over toward the wall under the tablet. Sitting down, he patted the floor next to him, he encouraged Nicky to join him. The boy did so.

"So how are you, Nicky?" he asked.

"I'm fine. I'm really busy in school, and Dad has been letting me take extra hockey lessons." Nick tapped the floor with his foot. "Sometimes I get picked on, though."

"Picked on?" asked Ahk, chuckling. He had no idea what that meant.

"Yeah. It means that some of the kids tease me and take my stuff and act like they're better than me. They sometimes hit me, too." Ahk scowled.

"Why would they make fun of you? You're a great kid."

"Thanks, Ahk." Nicky smiled and leaned back against the wall. However, Ahk felt the darkness coming back, the anger and the hurt and the fog. He didn't want Nicky to be in the tomb when it did.

"Hey Nick?" the pharaoh said, softly.

"Yeah?"

"I know you were wanting to talk to me, but I think you better leave."

"Why?" The boy sounded like his feelings were hurt.

"Because I don't want to hurt you. I'm really sick, Nicky, and I don't know if I can control myself. In a few minutes I will forget everything we just talked about. I won't forget you, but I…" Ahk bit back a small sob. "I don't know what I will do. I need you to go." He realized his prediction had been off; already he was struggling. "Get out, Nicky!"

…

Nicholas was too stubborn for his own good. Teddy could see that, and he stepped into Ahk's line of sight.

"Come on, son," he said sternly. Ahk's face was a mask of pain. Eyes flashing, he stood and looked from Teddy's stern gaze to Nick's nervous one.

"You…" he trailed off; stared from one to the other with increasing terror… and hate. "Why are you in here?" Teddy was unsure who he was talking to.

"I'm in here to protect the boy, Pharaoh," he explained.

"And I'm just here to see you, Ahk," Nicholas said, unhappily. Teddy gently beckoned to the boy.

"Let's go," he muttered. But Ahkmenrah stepped forward between Teddy and Nicholas and would not move.

"You're lying to me." He was pointing at Nicky, his voice heavy with anger and disappointment. "Why are you really in here? Why did he have to protect you? Don't you trust me?" Nicholas backed away, and Teddy hurried forward.

"Ahkmenrah, let him pass, please. His father wants to see him."

"His father the security guard." Nick stared at his friend, eyes wide. The President's heart went out to the boy, who was clearly frightened and upset. Then Nicholas did something stupid. He moved closer to Ahk, as if to embrace him or reassure him, and the pharaoh reacted with a shout of fury. "You've been lying to me all along! Just like your father!" Nick panicked and ran, and Ahk chased after him. Teddy, furious, charged after them both, dragging Ahkmenrah to a halt only seconds before the king could grab Nicholas. He fought wildly, tearing free of the Rough Rider's grasp and going after Nick again, eyes wild with desperation. He struck the boy across the face.

Teddy cursed and jerked out his sword. He never used it, but now… He charged in between Nicholas, who seemed frozen, and Ahkmenrah, placing the tip of the weapon on his chest. "Stop right there!" he growled, fed up. Ahk stared at the metal blade pressing cold and unyielding against his collarbone. "Nick, I daresay you've tarried in here long enough. Go find your father at once." Nicholas didn't dare disobey him.

Now, none of you must misunderstand Theodore Roosevelt on this. He did not hate Ahk; as a matter of fact, he eventually became more fiercely protective of him than Larry ever was. However, Ahk had recently hurt two people he cared about. Also, his old-fashioned (and might I add absolutely wonderful) sense of duty made him all the more angry because the people hurt were a child and a woman. He was angry that he could not help Ahk. He was angry that Ahk had seemed so normal and had then attacked Nicky. And he was angry that the pharaoh was only getting worse, not better. Of course, we know that it's "all uphill from here", even if it's a horribly slow climb. But Teddy couldn't see this. He only saw how things had been getting harder and harder. And he simply could not convince Larry to leave Ahk in his sarcophagus. So you must all understand that Teddy meant no harm. He was simply tired of feeling helpless and of seeing his friends struggling.

Ahk's eyes were full of emotion. Teddy watched him carefully, noticing that although he still seemed panicked and angry, he was calm. If the President had thought that he could trust the Pharaoh, he would have put his sword away, but he knew to be cautious. The jackals were still standing, doing nothing. Perhaps everything had transpired too fast for them to really be of help.

…

Needless to say, Larry was shocked. As soon as Nicky had told him what happened he had burst into tears, so the night guard took a few extra minutes to comfort his distraught son. He blamed himself, naturally. As soon as Nicky was settled down and comfortable on an armchair in Dr. McPhee's office, Larry sprinted upstairs, determined to get to the bottom of things or know the reason why.

Teddy sheathed his sword as soon as the night guard appeared, seeming relieved. Ahk recoiled at the sight of Larry; the older man had a ridiculous image of Ahkmenrah hissing like a cat and his tail bushing out... Apparently worry does weird things to you brain. Larry walked over to Ahk, feeling tension bubbling in his stomach.

"Hey buddy, I need to know why you hit my son." Short and to the point. Not very sweet. Actually pretty harsh. Ahk was trembling but not backing down; his eyes were blazing. Larry did not realize it, but an important turning point had been reached. Ahk was no longer cowering in fear. He had been defiant before the experimenting, then he had been silent and still and angry, and then finally he had cooperated and whimpered and forced his warrior's heart into hiding until it was impossible to suppress it anymore. Now he was fighting back. This would be the most dangerous part of Ahk's recovery, but it was hugely important. But as I've said, Larry knew none of this.

"You were using him to trick me," snarled the pharaoh. His expression was dark, defiant, and possibly a little remorseful.

"Why would I do that?" pressed Larry, annoyed. Tact was never his strong point, he knew, but he didn't care.

"Because you love to trick me," Ahk spat. "Time and again you lie to me and beat me and laugh at my pain. All of you!" He made a sweeping gesture that encompassed people who only he could see. Larry fought the urge to ask for more details.

"When have I done that?" he asked.

"That's a stupid question." Ahk's fear and anger and rebelliousness combined were making Larry nervous. "You know exactly when." He spat at Larry's feet. "So put me back in that sarcophagus. Beat me bloody. I don't care anymore." His ferocity was startling.

"I don't care if you don't care," responded Larry sharply. "But stop accusing my son of lying. He's nine years old, for goodness sake, and you've scared him half out of his wits. You guys used to be best friends." He knew Ahk might not listen to any of this, but Nicky had to be safe. First and foremost, he had to protect his son any way he could.

Ahkmenrah smirked, clearly not convinced. "Tell your son I apologize," he said, coldly. Then he crossed his arms, and Larry saw his muscles tighten. The pharaoh expected Larry to retaliate, that much was obvious. Larry sighed, dropped his hands to his sides helplessly.

"You should probably stay in here tonight," he said. "You seem pretty out of it. Hey Teddy, can I talk to you in the locker room?"

"Certainly, Lawrence." They left, Larry silently begging the god of museums everywhere to keep Ahk in his tomb. Larry pulled out his cell phone as he went and tapped a few buttons, bringing up his contacts list. He scrolled past Nicky's teacher, Tess, the plumber… There. He detested the man, but he was going to call Professor Fellowes again.

**NOTE: Sorry for any redundant-sounding stuff or any typos; I haven't really done a lot of editing.**


	11. Chapter 10: Appearances

Chapter 10: Appearances

Once they were safely in the locker room with the door closed, Larry sat down in an office chair. It spun halfway around before he stopped the progress with his foot. Teddy grabbed a folding chair and managed to figure it out after only a few tries. He sat down in it, across from the night guard.

"I'm going to call Professor Fellowes. I've been trying to avoid it because he just doesn't understand how wrong everything he did to Ahk is, and I personally really, really hate him. But I can't figure anything out about this whole thing. I think my security guard status may have something to do with it." He pressed the green phone button on his cell and lifted it to his ear. Waited.

"This is Professor Fellowes!" A cheery greeting, as usual.

"Good evening, Professor!" Larry kept his tone light.

"Oh, no. Not you again!" The man on the line sounded like he was genuinely going to cry.

"Yes, it's me again! Surprise! Nice talking to you. I need some information, Professor," said Larry. "You told me you did a few routine check-ups, experiments, etc." Larry put the cellphone on speaker so Teddy could hear.

"Yes…?"

"What else happened to Ahk while he was there? It's pretty important. Was there… How did you get him to cooperate?"

"Well, I, ah…" The Professor stammered to a stop. "He threatened me. So we, um… One of our security guards" _I knew it_, thought Larry. "Was a bit of a, um, sadist. Well, we tried to vaccinate the Pharaoh against the flu and he got very sick." Larry cursed. "I'm not finished, Mr. Daley. Anyway, that night we left him alone in his coffin to recover, but one of our guards (we had three) let him out and beat him till he was unconscious. We fired that guard, but we replaced him of course."

"So you had security guards who beat him if he didn't cooperate," snapped Larry, beginning to understand. Teddy groaned.

"No! Well, yes, but he did start by threatening me."

"You probably deserved it." Larry clenched his hand tighter around his cellphone. "What else happened to him?" So the Professor explained, in very objective, watered-down, scientific words without much detail what Ahk had gone through over the few weeks. Although he tried to make light of some of the things, Larry read between the lines and was disgusted by what he saw. Finally he was tired of listening, so he hung up while the Professor was mid-sentence and slumped forward in his chair. Teddy sighed and buried his face in his hands. "It's hopeless, Teddy. How do we overcome fear like that?"

"I don't know, Lawrence. I think the best we can do is be the opposite of what he expects us to be." They sat in silence for a long moment, then were startled by a long, high-pitched scream. Both men leaped to their feet and rushed out of the room. They were not surprised to realize that the scream came from Ahk's tomb. The sound snapped into silence as they drew nearer.

Bursting into the stone room, they stopped short at the sight of the pharaoh. He was collapsed on the floor, unconscious. The two jackals were watching him closely, and seemed relieved to see the two museum leaders. Larry hurried over to him. Fitting his arms under the younger man's shoulders, he nodded for Teddy to help him. The two of them carried Ahk down the stairs and into Dr. McPhee's office.

Nicky jumped off the huge fluffy chair where he'd been reading his Peter Pan book. "Is he okay?" he asked, worried.

"I think so, Nicky," said Larry, glancing at the multitude of faces pressing through the door. "He'll be all right, guys! You can go!" The animals, faceless puppet soldiers, miniatures, and statues all left, except for Octavius and Jed, who came in carried on Sacagawea's hand.

"What's wrong with him, my liege?"

"We aren't sure, Octavius. I think he may just have gotten too stressed or angry or frightened and, well, this happened." As if in answer, Ahkmenrah's eyes blinked open and he practically flew out of the armchair they had put him in. He glanced rapidly from person to person. "Hey, Ahk, I would sit down if I were you. You just collapsed out of nowhere and we aren't sure that you're strong enough to stand yet." The pharaoh slumped a little but still did not sit down, so Larry didn't press the issue. Teddy frowned a little and walked around behind Ahk, who stiffened and spun to face him. Larry frowned, too, and stood.

"Ahkmenrah, what is this?" he asked, tapping Ahk's lower back. There was a long tear in the fabric, and something like a burn showed through.

"You should know, you gave it to me." Larry sighed, frustrated.

"I did not! But since you're so convinced I did, would you mind telling me again anyways? The tablet should have healed it by now."

"I know. But it's not the kind of thing my tablet can heal; its magic is Egyptian magic, and Egyptians knew plenty about slashes, stabs, bruises, ordinary burns, and illnesses, but chemicals… no, they knew nothing about modern chemicals." Ahk turned so that none of them could see his back anymore. "Technically, it was an accident. At least, that's what you told me. Toxic chemicals spilled; got on the floor. Not a lot of them. But I was not getting in my sarcophagus when I was told to, and while I was fighting, you tripped me. And naturally enough, I fell." Larry nodded his understanding and walked out of the office, into the locker room, and to the cabinet that contained coffee, snacks, canned goods, and any and all first aid supplies. He wasn't sure what he was looking for. A chemical burn… how did one treat a chemical burn? The same as a regular one?

…

Ahk felt uncomfortable. Whenever they wanted to talk about the tablet with him he felt better, because it was something he actually knew about. But it also felt wrong to share all this information with people who did not care and could not understand. And how vulnerable it felt, to have them looking at his wound and forcing him to explain how he'd gotten it.

The woman was watching him. And so were the two very strange, very small people standing on her hand. Despite his nervousness, Ahk felt a surge of curiosity. He stared right back at them, and saw one of them, the one wearing armor and an unusual plumed helmet, lean over to whisper to the other. Both of them were dressed strangely, but especially the taller man. He had on a broad-brimmed hat, strange leather pants that were too large for him, a brightly-colored shirt, and another shirt over that which only covered his shoulders, back, and sides.

"Gigantor, Ahk don't look too good over here!" called this same tiny man. He pulled his broad-brimmed hat off and slapped it against his leg. "He's starin' at us and hasn't blinked fer at least a minute." The night guard, who had just gotten back, burst out laughing, much to Ahk's discomfort.

"Think about it, Jed. You're only about three inches tall. Of course he's going to stare at you." He walked over with a tube of some kind. "Listen, Ahk, I'm going to try and clean that burn of yours. While I'm doing that, we're gonna get rid of that shirt you have on now because it's kind of a mess." Ahk nodded once. The woman left the room, and he pulled off his shirt. The man with the mustache and spectacles took it with a look of disgust and tossed it to the security guard, who in turn dumped it into a bucket sitting on the floor. At first, when the night guard began to apply the medicine, a burning, stinging pain flared up wherever it touched the burn. Ahk jerked away, shuddering, but then the pain disappeared and was replaced with a cool sensation. He sighed in relief despite himself, and the man seemed to take that as permission to continue.

The dark-haired woman walked back in, carrying what looked like his jeweled collar and belt, gauntlets, and shendyt. The night guard finished applying the medicine and walked over to the woman, taking the clothes from her.

"Here, Ahk," he said. His voice still sounded as distant in Ahk's ears as always. "You can go in the bathroom over there and put these on. Sacagawea didn't bring your cloak because of your back, but any time you want to put that on you can. Once you're dressed, we'll throw away those pants, too," he added, wrinkling his nose. "They're almost as bad as the shirt."

…

Nicky was sort of hiding. Only sort of, because he was standing in a shadowy corner, but not trying to be unobtrusive or anything. But he was really hoping that Ahk wouldn't see him and would stay away. He felt bad, of course, that Ahk was hurt, but he wasn't so worried that he wanted to be near him. However, his dad saw him standing there and immediately called him out into the open.

"Nick, come out of that corner," he ordered. Nicky did so and stood there awkwardly, shifting from one foot to the other. "Son, you have nothing to worry about. Teddy and I are right here. We won't let anything happen to you, kay?" He nodded.

Just then, Ahkmenrah exited the bathroom. Nicky felt a flood of happiness at seeing him, despite his anxiety. Ahk looked almost completely normal, even without the cloak. The familiar gold clothes, combined with the pharaoh's defiant expression, brought back much of his former stature. However, he still did not wear his crown. Nicky wished he would; it was weird seeing him without it.

When Ahk made eye contact with him, his gaze hardened, but other than that he did not react to Nick's presence. Looking at his dad, he could see that it felt better for all of them to see him in his normal outfit. He sat down quietly on the floor, pulled a tennis ball out of his pocket, and started tossing it back and forth between his hands. Rexy absolutely loved tennis balls because they were so small and bounced a lot and he could never catch them. Of course, when he did catch them, his teeth ruined them within seconds.

"Thank you." Ahkmenrah's voice surprised Nicky out of his thoughts. He was looking sullenly at his dad. Even though he hated Larry now, the pharaoh knew enough to thank him. Nick, however, wanted to go smack his dad or smack Ahk or maybe both. His dad had brought him to the museum and made him talk to the stupid, insane pharaoh, and then Ahk had smacked Nicky, which had hurt. So obviously he wanted to smack him back.

Nicky got up and walked out of the room without further ado. He was tired and wanted to go home and sleep, and he was mad at Ahkmenrah. Plus scared of him. And he didn't admit it to himself, but he was also scared **for** him. What Ahk had said before hitting him… well, it had been creepy.


	12. Chapter 11: The Visitor

**Option C, ladies and gents.**

Chapter 11: The Visitor

Ahkmenrah, needless to say, was confused. He had expected the beating of his life, and had almost looked forward to the fight ahead as a way to escape the usual monotony of his nights… and instead had been given back his royal robes and had his wound treated. He did not understand what was going on. He suspected some kind of cruel joke, but when gradually all the people left the office but Nicky, it became clear that they were not yet going to do anything more to him. The boy eyed him nervously before walking over to the chair his father had been sitting on and plopping down in it. He opened his book and was soon absorbed in it, not even reacting when Ahk stood up and moved closer to him, peering over his shoulder at his book. The words blurred and looked like gibberish, so Ahk shifted his gaze to Nicky's head. The boy's hair was brown, curly and untidy. Ahkmenrah felt a strange impulse to tousle his hair and immediately moved away, not understanding himself. He didn't know why he would want to mess up Nick's hair, or why he felt like he should understand the words on the page.

He decided to leave the office and explore; the museum had four levels, and he wanted to see as many as he could before the inevitable punishment descended. First it was the Hall of African Mammals on the third floor, which was terrifying and yet reassuring because he knew what at least half of the animals were. Then the Hall of North American Birds – because why the heck not? Then the ever fascinating Hall of Primates, which was honestly rather unnerving because all the monkeys and apes just stared at him.

Finally he stopped exploring in the Hall of Miniatures, worn out. Much to his surprise, he heard the familiar footsteps of his tomb guards, and they appeared around the corner, spears held relaxed in their fists. They both dropped to one knee and clapped their right fists to their chests, heads bent.

"_You may rise_," he commanded them. "_What do you need?_" One of the jackals growled quietly and held out something: his crown. Ahk took it from him and held it for a moment, feeling conflicted. Then he handed it back and turned away, breathing deeply. "_That is not mine. Why are you out here?_" He could practically feel the confusion coming off his guards in waves. "_What do you want?_" he snapped, spinning to face them. They bowed their heads even lower, then stood and pointed back the way they had come. Sighing, Ahk followed them. He felt the call of the tablet and knew he had to get back in his sarcophagus anyway; likely his guards just wanted to remind him of that.

He felt a jolt of alarm when he walked into his tomb and saw a small gathering of people: the night guard, the man with the mustache, and a strange man in a pointed helmet and thick armor. He stopped in his tracks as his jackals took up their positions. They were not looking at him; they were standing in a semicircle around his tablet talking quietly amongst themselves. Waiting for him. _Strike now_, the voices whispered. _Attack before they realize you're here_. He silently walked towards them, eyes flicking from one person to the other. The man with spectacles had a sword, although he was clumsy with it. The armored man also had a sword and was likely the most dangerous of the three. That left the night guard, who only carried his metal flashlight. He could use it as a club, but Ahk was fairly sure he was faster than him. Fighting to control his fear, he stepped closer still, ready to attack.

Suddenly one of his jackals let out a sound halfway between a growl and a bark, the night guard spun around, and Ahk immediately launched himself at him with a yell. His opponent dropped to the ground and rolled away, coming up to his feet, eyes wide. "Ahkmenrah, Ahk, I need you to calm down-" He ducked as Ahk swung a punch at him and retreated out of reach, not missing a beat. "-I know we looked like we were waiting for you or something but-" he staggered as one of Ahk's fists hit his stomach, and the armored man jumped ion between them to give the man a break, and he still didn't stop talking. "Just calm down; Attila and Teddy have to go back to their exhibits and so do I. We're just trying to figure some things out." Ahk sneered at him.

"Of course you were. How to hurt me as badly as possible before the sun comes up." He tried to get to him again and the armored man grunted something in an odd language and crossed his arms, blocking his way. He heard the footsteps of his jackals, and cursed when a pair of huge spears crossed in front of him. "_I'll call the curses of the gods on you!_" he screamed at them, but they did not let him go. Immediately the three men turned and left. The gate slammed shut, and the jackals let him loose, he spun to face them, roaring at them in Egyptian, furious. The two jackals dropped to their knees and bent their heads, saluting, but did nothing else. Ahk finally just let his shoulders slump and walked to his sarcophagus, climbing in and pulling shut the lid. He barely made it before dawn.

Nicky was packing his backpack with his homework. He had two pages of math, another ten pages of Peter Pan, and a science worksheet to put in it, and he added his favorite pencil and a calculator.

"Hey, Nicky!" Nick looked up, unimpressed.

"Hi Jake."

"What's that?" Jake pointed to Nick's bag, and immediately he tried to cover it up.

"Nothing."

"Nothing, huh?" It was a metal ankh symbol on a chain that Ahk had given to Nicky. Jake reached out and grabbed it. "This is interesting." He looked at it for a minute and then carelessly tossed it behind him. His friend Lance caught it and stuffed it in his pocket.

"Give that back."

"Where'd you get it?"

"The Museum." Jake grinned and nodded.

"Is it right that your dad is a security guard there?"

"Yeah."

"Tell you what, Nicky," Jake said in a reasonable tone. "I'll give you your girly little necklace back if you take us to see the museum. At night. Without your dad knowing."

"Is that all?" Nicky said, pretending that he didn't care.

"Yep. That's it." Jake smiled. "Otherwise Lance is just going to keep the necklace."

"Why would I care about it?"

"Well, I'm sure you need this." Jake held up Nick's math book. Nicky scowled and crossed his arms.

"Fine. It's not like it's a big deal anyway."

…

Nicky told the boys to meet him behind the Museum. Lance ended up not being able to come, but Jake lived close enough to walk there.

"This oughta be fun. And don't even think about telling your dad I'm here." Nick held back a grin.

"Of course not." He knew he would be in huge trouble for bringing someone like Jake tonight… But he couldn't do much about it. The necklace was special to him especially now that Ahk was, well, not himself. Plus he really needed to get his homework done.

He checked his watch and noticed that it was only five minutes before the exhibits would wake up. "Tell you what," he said, with a small smile. "You give my necklace back now and my math homework when I tell you and we can forget the whole thing."

"Why are you asking? Not scared, are you?"

"Because I know more about the Museum than you. And no, I'm not." Jake made a scared face and shook his head dramatically.

"Ohhh, scary threat."

"Suit yourself…" said Nicky, with another grin. Three minutes. "Just a few more minutes."

"Why?"

"Because I said so, you idiot," Nick replied. At exactly one minute till sundown, he led Jake into the museum. "Want some water?" He knew the first thing Rex would do would be to head for a drink, since being a dusty skeleton makes it hard to stay hydrated.

"Why not," sighed Jake. He leaned over and got a good, long drink. Perfect thought Nicky as heavy, scraping claw-steps came down the hall.

"Hey, Rexy!" he called. Jake looked up and let out a scream of panic, backing away till he hit the wall. "Rexy, this guy's been bullying me. Do you mind teaching him a lesson?" The T-rex roared in Jake's face and picked him up (carefully of course) by the collar of his shirt. The bully was screaming like a little girl, and Nick had to admit he was enjoying it.

"Nicholas!" Oops. "What in blue blazes is going on back here?" Teddy's voice brooked no argument. Nick gulped, and Rexy whimpered a little and tucked his huge tail between his legs, equally uncomfortable.

"Um… Teddy, this guy's been bullying me at school and he took the ankh symbol Ahk gave me, and he stole my math book so I can't do my homework."

"Why didn't you just tell your father?"

"He wouldn't get it. He'd go talk to Jake's dad or the principal or somebody and embarrass me." Teddy smiled a little.

"I'm sure he wouldn't. Rexy," he called. "Put that boy down. He's not a toy." Rex did as he was told. Jake stared, rather panicked, at Teddy.

"Are you really Theodore Roosevelt?" he asked, nervously.

"Yes I am, young man, and I have to say I'm very upset at how you've been treating Nicholas."

"It's no big deal. We're just messing around… Right, Nick?" Nick just raised one eyebrow and shook his head. Teddy nodded once.

"As I thought. Young man, I think you and I need to go have a talk. Alone." Nicky snickered, and Teddy shot him a stern glare. "And you, Mr. Daley, will go do your homework."

"I don't have my math book though!"

"I'm sure you have more homework than that." Nicky looked down, embarrassed, and left.

Teddy took a firm hold of Jake's shoulder and brought him into the Hall of African Mammals so they would be out of everyone's way. "Now then, young man, hand over the necklace." Jake dug into his pocket and held out the chain and ankh. Teddy pulled out his sword, and Jake's eyes widened and bugged out. "You seem to be a brave young man, picking on boys who are younger than you," Teddy snapped. "So I think you can handle this." Jake yelled and pulled away.

"Are you nuts?!"

"I'm not going to kill you or attack you, if that's what you're thinking," sighed Teddy. "Bend over." Using the flat of the blade, Teddy administered justice.

Jake stood up slowly, wincing. Teddy sheathed his sword with a tired sigh. "Now please go give Nick his math book. I won't order you to apologize because that would fix nothing, but please consider doing so. I hope I don't have to see you back here again."

"No! No, that won't be necessary," Jake reassured him hastily. He carefully started walking out of the room, and Teddy felt a rush of sympathy.

"Young man," he called. Jake turned to face him again. "You took that without flinching. I'm impressed." Jake's face lightened somewhat and his walk sped up. Teddy smiled. If they kept an eye on this one, he might turn out to be something special. Now he had to talk to Larry about the whole issue.


	13. Writers Block

**Hey guys! I'm so sorry to all of you who are impatiently waiting for Chapter 13. I have extremely bad writer's block, like scary bad. My brother, DaviM (read his stories if you like Super Smash Bros.) suggested listening to music while I wrote. No dice. I've tried the usual "wait a few days and try again" but I'm still stuck.**  
><strong>So basically, guys, I need your help. I haven't even started the new chapter, which is how bad it is. If I could just get started, I could keep writing and get my brain back but again, I'm stuck.<strong>

**I need a prompt, a basic plotline, anything for this chapter or I swear I will not be able to write again for at least a week. If you have any ideas, keep in mind what's been happening in the last few chapters and that there is currently a strange kid in the Museum thanks to Nicky; etc.**

**Thank you everyone for your help! **

**Peace out. :)**


	14. Chapter 12: Ankh - Symbol of Life

**I did it! Thanks to you guys and a change of scenery (staying at grandparents' house for a few days) I wrote this chapter and am officially unstuck! It is admittedly kind of short, but the next chapter SHOULD – I repeat should – make up for that. I'm back bwahahahaaaaa!**

**I took a look at the very popular book Mockingjay to help me with the stages of Ahk's recovery; it will follow a similar pattern to Peeta's, probably, although with a few significant differences.**

**The main ideas/encouragement for this chapter are from: **

**RainGirl9**

**A random Guest**

**Oddments and Tweaks**

**UniqueOpal**

**My own brain**

**Thanks especially to you guys!**

**Also thank you to ****_keacdragon_****, ****_Lady's Secret_****, ****_Huskygirl1998_****, ****_TolkienGirl052_****, ****_Chardineno_****, ****_LuckyRosey 12 (guest)_****, ****_guardian of art and bravery_****, ****_Bibabe (guest)_****, ********, and ****_Mystic Myra 8_**** for the prompts, suggestions, and encouragement!**

Chapter 12: Ankh – Symbol of Life

Jake had never expected anything like this when he told Nick to take him to the museum. His only idea had been to mess some stuff up, maybe break something, and blame the younger boy. But now that idea was out the window… as were any other plans he had had to torment Nicky. He wandered through the museum, gaping in surprise at everything around him. It was fantastic! He ran upstairs, staring at Lewis and Clark consulting their map, the stagecoach horses stamping and seeming reluctant to leave their job, and Sacagawea playing with a zebra.

Then there were the Egyptology exhibits. He walked through, looking at the clothes, but impatient to get to something more interesting. A golden cat statue was licking its paw, and he stopped for a moment to look at that.

"Who are you?" Jake turned and saw a man in gold – a pharaoh! – looking at him, a look of puzzlement on his face. Jake felt terrified.

"I, um… Hi. I'm Jake." The pharaoh took a few steps forward.

"Jake."

"Yeah." Jake was tempted to back away but thought that maybe the pharaoh would think he was trying to escape and steal his soul… as you may have guessed, Jake was not a history whiz, nor was he used to being brave.

"Have you… do you come here often?"

"No. I'm just visiting because I made Nicky bring me." The pharaoh tilted his head to one side.

"You made him bring you?"

"Um, yeah, I… I stole his necklace thing and, well… I told him if he wanted it back he had to bring me here." The pharaoh frowned.

"Necklace thing?"

"Yeah it had like a cross shape on it, and –"

"Like this?" The pharaoh pointed to a carving on the wall.

"Yeah, like that."

"It's called an ankh," said the pharaoh. His face kept changing; anger to fear to shock to faint happiness. "I gave that necklace to him…" He sounded surprised.

"I'm sorry that I stole it. I gave it back, though," Jake said, nervously.

"Good."

"Well, I'm gonna… I'm gonna leave now."

"Alright." Jake turned and ran out of the Egyptology wing, relieved to still be alive and not hypnotized or dead or mummified.

x

xx

Ahkmenrah steadied himself against the wall as the boy left, shocked. He had remembered another event that happened, and with it another name, although he couldn't find a face to give it to. _Sacagawea_, he thought. _I have to find out who that is_. He struggled to remember. He was so close… There! Nicky's birthday. He and Sacagawea had taken Nicky out to eat… Pizza? Yes, pizza, whatever that was. And he'd given Nicky the small ankh charm – to give him luck, he'd said. Then Sacagawea had laughed… she was a woman! The dark-haired one he had hit! Ahk felt his head spinning and slumped against the wall, hands pressed to his forehead. He remembered… but nothing else occurred to him. All he had left of himself was pain, fear, a soccer game, and a birthday gift. He cursed softly, frustrated, and slammed a fist into the wall with all his might.

x

xx

Larry was understandably furious. He had Jake and Nicky in the locker room with him and was giving them both the lecture of their lives.

"Nicky, what were you thinking? Why didn't you just tell me what was going on instead of bringing someone to the museum? There's a reason we keep the Tablet secret, you know!"

"Dad, last time I told you I was being bullied you just made it worse! You told the kid's parents and he teased me about that for weeks!"

"Look, Nicky, I'm sorry, okay? But honestly, this museum is a bit more important than… well, what I mean is, if you had told me, we could've gotten Ahk to use the Tablet and freeze everyone before Jake came in. You could take him around to look at everything, I'd keep an eye on you both, and that would've been the end of it. Anything like that would've worked better than this!"

"Dad, come on! You know Ahk's not really in a place where he can help me. Remember?" Jake, uncomfortable, raised his hand.

"You, the cowardly bully kid," snapped Larry, patience long gone.

"Um, what's this all about exactly?"

"Basically, the Pharaoh who lives upstairs is not doing well. Normally he's nice and friendly and helpful, but currently he's attacking everyone and generally just a nuisance," Larry grunted. "And so you stay out of his way or he'll probably strangle you. And if you bother my kid again, he can bring you back here and we'll let Rexy use you as a chew toy. Am I clear?"

"Yeah," said Jake unhappily.

Just then, Ahk himself burst into the room, eyes wide. "Where's Nicky?!" He was out of breath. Jake immediately backed away, trembling.

"Um, I'm right here, Ahk. You okay?" Larry took a step forward when Ahk gripped Nicky's shoulders tightly, eyes intense.

"Nicky, what did I give you for your last birthday?"

"You… You took me to Pizza hut, with Sacagawea," said Nick. "And you gave me this." He pulled out the necklace and handed it to Ahkmenrah. Ahk looked relieved, and Larry relaxed a bit. Maybe everything was fine after all.

"Where is Sacagawea?" asked Ahk, handing the necklace back to Nicky. "I have to talk to her, I have to –" He stopped and put a hand briefly to his stomach, grimacing in pain. "I can't remember anything, Nicky; well, just two things and they don't connect at all." He glanced around, seeming to realize where he was. "Do you know where she is?"

"Probably in the exhibit with the stagecoach and the horses." Ahk nodded slowly.

"Okay." He turned to go, then spun back around. "You," pointing at Larry "How long have you been a security guard?"

"About a year now," said Larry, confused. Ahkmenrah nodded, then ran out of the room. Larry turned and looked at Nicky, eyebrows raised. "Well that was… surprisingly nonviolent." Nick nodded, relieved. "Jake, you can stay in here for the rest of the night, okay?"

"Sure, Mr. Daley," said Jake, sighing.

x

xx

Sacagawea was surprised to see the pharaoh in her exhibit, eyes frantic as he looked around. She petted the nose of one of the stagecoach horses and watched him, gentle eyes worried. He saw her and immediately hurried over, almost tripping over his long shendyt.

"Sacagawea?" he said, hesitantly, as if afraid to mispronounce the name.

"Yes, Ahkmenrah?" she said softly, stepping away from the horses and smiling at him.

"I… I'm confused. Can we talk? I think I know you." Sacagawea felt a thrill of hope and nodded once.

"Of course. Come sit down." She walked over to the raised display where she stood during the day and sat on the edge of it. "What do you want to talk about?"

"Anything. You have to help me remember everything." Sacagawea raised an eyebrow, and adjusted her position to be more comfortable.

"How about you ask me some questions, and I will answer them as well as I can. Would that help?"

"I think so…" said Ahk, eyes dark and frightened.

He started with simple questions, like what his name was, how old he was, why was he at the museum, what was a museum, were there scientists in the museum, etc. He got more agitated as he went on, using hand gestures to help ask the questions. Was Larry a security guard? Did he know Larry? Was Nicky Larry's son? Who was the man with the mustache? What was a President? What was the United States? Would anyone hurt him? And the hardest question, how did Sacagawea _know_ that none of the exhibits would hurt him? Sacagawea answered honestly and explained as well as she could.

"Really, though, Ahk, it would be best if you asked Larry some of these questions."

"He's the… the security guard?" Ahkmenrah silently cursed his foggy mind.

"Yes."

"I'd rather not."

"I promise he won't hurt you, Ahkmenrah."

"I don't believe you," he snapped, turning away.

"What if I can prove it?"

"You can't. He'll just turn out like all the rest of them." Sacagawea gently, softly, asked what he meant.

"They'll kill me," whispered Ahk. "I've done so much damage they'll kill me now. I'll be dead, really dead… I don't know what will happen if I die."

"No, no one here will kill you," promised Sacagawea again, feeling deep compassion for Ahk.

"If I could only believe that." The pharaoh's tone was bitterly sarcastic. "Thank you, Sacagawea," he said, more calmly.

"I hope what I've told you will help, Ahk," said Sacagawea, standing and laying an understanding hand on his shoulder.


	15. Chapter 13: Sacrifices

**Hey, new chapter! Superbowl last night sucked because the Colts weren't in it :) **

**_jes 32321_****: I've read all the books a couple times! And thanks!**

**_Dragonninja-fan_****: No, he's not, because that's too much like Mockingjay, but I'll have him asking a lot of questions. I'll also have him having good days and bad days, like Peeta.**

**Just watched Captain America: The First Avenger again and I now remember why he is my all-time favorite MARVEL superhero. Who's yours (out of the Avengers)?**

**Hopefully by the end of this chapter your hearts are all broken.**

**Enjoy and review because reviews are like baby horses at the ocean with a sunset overhead and help me write faster.**

**Peace!**

Chapter 13: Research of a Different Kind

Larry was determined to find a way to help Ahkmenrah. The pharaoh was practically his second son… although he was, like, thousands of years older than he himself was. He had talked with Sacagawea and was now sitting on his laptop, searching everything he could about brainwashing, PTSD, trauma, anything remotely similar to what Ahk had experienced. He wrote down everything he found: tell the person that you care and want to listen, encourage contact with family and close friends, don't be critical, be clear and to the point, talk positive, don't give unwanted advice… all good, helpful tips, but Larry wasn't sure that any of them would work. He closed his laptop and folded the page full of notes he had. He leaned forward in his chair and took some deep breaths in and out, rubbing his eyes with his hands tiredly.

"Lawrence?" Larry looked up, smiling slightly.

"Hey, Teddy. You need something?"

"Yes, lad, I believe I do. Jedidiah has gotten himself in a bit of trouble." Larry didn't even ask for details; just stood up and followed Teddy through the museum at a run. The night guard was not particularly surprised when they headed for the Egyptology exhibit. However, rather than seeing Ahk going berserk or the jackals squishing Jed's shaggy head into the floor, a golden cat statue sat batting the cowboy back and forth. Every time Jed got away, the cat would pounce and drag him away from safety.

"Gigantor, this crazy feline's gonna eat me! Think ya could stop gapin' at me fer half a minute and get me outa here?!" Larry bit back a laugh and grabbed the cat, lifting it away from Jedidiah, while Teddy picked the small man up in his palm. "I had 'im on the ropes," grumbled Jed, immediately embarrassed that he had needed help.

"Teddy, why didn't you just get the cat off him yourself?"

"I'm allergic to cats – even that one. Don't ask how I know." Larry exploded into laughter.

"Put me down, Mustachio!" yells Jed. "This is pretty humiliatin', ya know!" Teddy chuckled.

"If I do, Lawrence will also put down the cat and you'd be right back where you started." Jed scowled but didn't argue further. Larry cradled the cat and scratched it under the chin, laughing a little as the golden statue purred and rubbed his face with its nose.

He turned at a sound behind him and came face-to-face with Ahkmenrah. The cat, oblivious to the tension in the air, butted Larry's hand to ask for more petting, and he distractedly complied, scratching behind its ears and at the base of its tail. Ahk looked confused, glancing between the cat and Larry's cautious facial expression. Larry quietly laughed – he couldn't help it – when the cat put its front paws on his shoulder and started sniffing his ear. He wondered what Ahk would make of that, but was not expecting the pharaoh to come towards him, scowling angrily. He gently stroked the cat's head once more and put it down; however, the animal stayed right next to him, meowing and rubbing against his legs.

"What kind of game are you playing?" growled Ahk, coming to a stop in front of Larry, eyes blazing.

"I'm not playing any games, Ahk," he replied, crossing his arms over his chest to hide his nervousness. "I was just holding a cat." He glanced down as the feline in question stood up on its hind legs and put its front paws on Larry's knee, mewing loudly.

"Listen to me, night guard," spat Ahkmenrah fiercely. He glanced at Jed and Teddy and for a moment seemed confused, then turned back to Larry. Suddenly, as if moved by an unseen force, he wrapped one hand around the night guard's throat and propelled him backwards into the wall. Holding him there with one arm, he glared at him threateningly. "I've had enough of this. I don't know why you've all been leaving me alone, I don't know why you've been sneaking around my tomb, and I don't really care. This had better not be some kind of trick, you hear me? I'm tired of going along with your sick games." Larry couldn't respond. Apparently Ahk had been regaining his strength, because there was no slackening in the grip on his neck. He closed his eyes and focused on counting, trying not to think about how much he wanted to breathe… "Do you understand all that?" Ahk growled, shoving harder.

"Ahkmenrah." Teddy's voice rang with authority through the hall. "Put him down please. He understands perfectly, but if you hold him there much longer you'll have done some irreparable damage to his throat."

"Why should I care?" Ahk hissed, his fiery gaze directed at Teddy. But after another long moment he pulled his hand away and Larry fell to the floor, gasping gratefully for air, his throat burning. The pharaoh glanced at him, then turned and strode away. _The burn on his back is looking better_, thought Larry fuzzily.

"Lawrence! For God's sake, Lawrence, don't faint right now. We need to keep an eye on our young pharaoh. Get up, my boy. You should probably go to the doctor this morning, but for now make yourself useful." Larry groaned and pushed himself to his feet, trying to hold his head and neck still.

"Do I look as bad as I feel?" he grunted.

"Yeah, ya do," Jed said cheerfully. "Yer neck has a nice bright reddish-purple imprint on it from Ahk's hand and yer eyes are all bulgy and red." Larry sighed.

"Wonderful." He took a careful step and felt the world spin. "Oh, man. This is bad, Teddy." The President gave him an arm for support, and Larry took small, cautious steps till they got to the elevator. Inside, he sat down and touched his neck a few times, wincing. "Geez, what was that?"

"A perfectly understandable attack, I think, Lawrence. He's very confused. From what he thinks he knows of you, you're a sadistic guard only around to force him to be experimented on. Seeing you cuddling a cat... well, although eventually that could help us to convince him you're his friend, right now it will only exacerbate his confusion."

"Smaller words please, Teddy, I'm dying, remember?"

"He thinks yer dangerous and the cat-kissin' thing you were doin' is only confusin' him more," explained Jed, still standing on Teddy's hand. "Gigantor, mebbe you should get Sacagawea to talk to him again. Seems like he'd never intentionally hurt her, and you ain't gonna be able ta get him to listen to ya for a while yet."

"I don't know, Jed…" said Larry despondently. "That's what we thought with Nicky, remember? And he associated him with me and that was it."

"Stop bein' so stupid, Gigantor!" Jed yelled. "What do ya wanna do, just give up? Ahk is family, and you never give up on family!" Larry shook his head, than gritted his teeth in frustration at the pain the movement caused.

"I'm not giving up, Jed. But I'm getting pretty worried. I thought we were seeing improvement yesterday, but…" He groaned. "I really just need to rest and think some more." He closed his eyes, and missed the look that passed between Teddy and Jed.

x

xx

Sacagawea walked around the museum with Dexter on her shoulder, looking for Ahkmenrah. Teddy had asked her if she would speak to him again, and she had promised to try, although she intended to spend more time listening than talking. She had thought the pharaoh would be in his tomb, but he was not. She had checked the Hall of African Mammals and the lobby. The Hall of Primates was empty, which left the Hall of Miniatures.

Sure enough, Ahk was standing in the Hall, watching the Mayans with a look of pure fascination of his face. Tiny darts rattled against the glass partition, and the little natives were yelling and waving their fists and probably threatening Ahk with a slow, painful death. Sacagawea stood a safe distance away and called out to him.

"King Ahkmenrah?" He spun around, eyes wild, then relaxed when he saw her.

"Sacagawea." He smiled a small, twisted smile. "What do you need?"

"Thank you for asking. I don't really need anything right now. I thought I'd just come see how you're doing. Is there anything you want to talk about?"

"No." Ahk said sharply. Sacagawea gently took Dexter off her shoulder.

"Are you sure?"

"Yes." His face was a struggle. Sacagawea dared to step closer. "I'm a pharaoh," he forced out. "I don't need anyone."

"I know," the Shoshone woman agreed. "But maybe you want to talk about something. I'm sure you don't have to, but it might help…" Ahk looked back at the tiny Mayans, his movements tired.

"I don't know, Sacagawea. Who is that night guard?"

"He's Larry Daley. Nicky's father, and a good man. You and he are close friends."

"How is that possible?" Ahk shook his head in bewilderment.

"Not all security guards are cruel, Ahk. Larry told me what… what happened to you."

"How does he know?" Sacagawea thought about the question carefully before answering.

"Professor Fellowes called him all the way from Colorado."

"I hate him." Ahkmenrah's voice was deadpan, eyes hard and cold.

"I know. So does Larry. He was furious for several hours after that call. Actually, you remember how he treated your burn?"

"I… think so."

"That was after talking to the professor. He was very angry then."

"He did not seem like it."

"He has good control over himself. Like you." Ahkmenrah seemed to be struggling with her words.

"I don't understand," he exploded. "None of it makes any sense." He clenched his hands into fists and bent his head, breathing hard. Sacagawea walked over to him and put her hands on his shoulders.

"It will, Ahkmenrah. You're strong, and we will always be here for you. You can do this." Ahk jerked away from her and took off running. Sacagawea watched him go, worried. "Dexter, I hope that helped." The capuchin howled in agreement.

x

xx

The jackals watched their pharaoh pacing back and forth ceaselessly. It had been maybe two hours since he had come pounding into the tomb and begun taking out his anger on everything in sight. He had even gone so far as to throw his crown across the room, where it crashed into the wall with a clang.

The guards had given up disobeying Ahkmenrah. They did not want to risk angering the gods any more than they already had. Earlier he had instructed them to find him a khopesh, which they did easily enough. It was locked in a sturdy metal case. It had taken only two blows from their giant fists to break the thick glass in the front of the case, and they had brought it back to the pharaoh, who had promptly set it aside.

They felt horribly useless. May the gods forgive them, but they couldn't do anything to help their master. They were stone jackals who could only growl and fight – what did they know about madness? They both lived in fear of what would happen if their pharaoh never recovered… they might have to kill many of these people.

The night guardian was walking towards them. He looked horrible. The jackals immediately tried to turn him back, but he would have none of it. He dodged their spears, wincing, and slipped into the tomb. Both jackals held their spears at the ready, and felt a creeping dismay steal over them.

x

xx

Larry cautiously stood at the smaller door to the inner half of Ahk's tomb, feeling vulnerable. He still could not move his head or neck very much.

"Ahk?"

The pharaoh turned to look at him. His eyes glittered strangely, but he did not appear surprised to see Larry. "I was expecting you." Ahkmenrah's cool words made Larry's blood freeze.

"You were?"

"Yes. You are always following me back here." Larry knew that was true enough.

"It's only because I'm worried about you."

"Hmm. You know, Sacagawea thinks you're different." Ahk remained calm and collected.

"Different from what?"

"The other security guards." Larry frowned, getting nervous.

"Yes…"

"I'm not so sure." Ahk walked to his sarcophagus and reached inside, pulling out a khopesh. He spun around and advanced on Larry speedily, the weapon gleaming in the dim light of the tomb. Larry tried to back out, and Ahk barked an order in Egyptian. Larry glanced back and saw the jackals blocking his way out, their spears pointed at him. He took only a few more steps before he felt the points digging into his back. Ahk stalked up to him and pressed the blade of his sword against Larry's chest. "So, night guard, how will you die?"

Larry expected himself to panic. He wasn't exactly the heroic type. However, he only thought of how inconvenient it would be if he died and left a very unstable Ahkmenrah running around with a sword and an unreliable memory. He realized if he wanted, he could reach across and punch Ahk in the face – it might give him a chance to escape, if the jackals and the pharaoh were startled enough. He thought about it some more and discounted the idea. That would only make it worse if he did escape. Ahkmenrah would be more frightened and angry than before. He reached a hand up to his face and rubbed his jaw.

"Um, Ahk, I get that killing me probably sounds pretty nice right now," he said, conversationally. "But before you do that, can I ask a favor?"

"I suppose," the pharaoh replied, calm.

"After you kill me, that'll be your revenge, right? You're free to do whatever then?"

"Yes."

"Then just this, Ahk. After I'm dead, take care of the other exhibits, okay? You know, don't let Attila rip anyone apart, keep this place a secret, help the miniatures get along, work together with Sacagawea and Teddy, that kind of thing?" Ahk's expression was unreadable. "Please? You know, I'd much rather not die, but that doesn't appear to be an option… so like, as a final wish thing, will you please take care of the museum? And, like, not kill anyone else? Oh, and… well, Nicky…" Larry could feel his own heartbeat. It was weird. The khopesh did not feel sharp, and neither did the spears. He felt like the situation wasn't real. It couldn't be, right?

Ahkmenrah looked closely at him, eyes fierce. "Why does that matter so much to you?"

"This is my family, Ahk. I mean, I know who'll take care of Nick if I'm gone: his mom. But here, I have no idea. There would be a new security guard and I wouldn't be able to train him. You and Teddy would have to. So I'm asking you to do this for me. Please." Ahk nodded once, as if he was satisfied.

"I think I can promise that," he said, his voice rough. It broke in the middle. Then he drew back his khopesh, and all Larry thought how strangely shaped the weapon was. The khopesh flashed towards Larry's unresisting chest and the night guard felt a sharp, fleeting pain, then nothing.


	16. Chapter 14: Never Give Up

**So… Thanks to 3 pieces of imaginary cheesecake from ****_Oddments and Tweaks_****, I am finally publishing this chapter! Cheesecake is the best way to make me speed up my writing. School is getting harder, not easier, so I've been going fast but slow. From the reviews I got, I think I shocked you all pretty good with that last chapter. Sorry! (Not.) I was really tempted to just wait to post this for like a month and kill you guys, but I'm not that mean, especially when bribed with cheesecake.**

**_Oddments and Tweaks_****: Thank you for the cheesecake! I don't know, has it?**

**_StarsforJazz_****: Captain America is my favorite for a couple reasons. (1) He has integrity. He's really concerned about doing the right thing and doesn't go around chasing girls *cough cough Tony Stark* (2) He's handsome LOL that's a really good reason (3) He doesn't want to kill people (4) He can be funny, especially when he doesn't understand pop culture references (5) He fought Nazis AND Hydra. Nuff said.**

**_snowflakeangel21_****: I felt that it was necessary. Don't question the authoress… you will get the answers you seek eventually.**

**_jes 32321_****: I tell you the same thing I told ****_snowflakeangel21_**** – be patient and you will understand. **

**_TolkienGirl052_****: Please don't cry!**

**_CelticStephanie1_****: No please don't kill or lock up Ahkmenrah! He's my main character here, I need him alive! **

**_keacdragon_****: Thanks!**

**_SuperPsychoLove_****: I would totally try to kill you guys with those kind of feels. It's one of my talents. #CrypticAnswer**

**_divergentlover523_****: Updating…**

**_GalaxyGirl317_****: No! Don't die of waiting! That would be really sad!**

**_angelicfrosty_****: Thank you!**

**_SingleStar2003_****: Only if Larry is dead, only if he's dead... What if he's not? But maybe he is...**

**_NoControl_****: Why thank you!**

**_SwimmerGirl0726_****: Erm... I don't. Sorry.**

**_Dragonninja-fan_****: Boom. Surprise!**

**If you guys like adventure, drama, and romance I would encourage you to check out a story I'm writing with a friend called "That Night at the Museum". Starts out a little slow, but gets interesting!**

**Also, just a quick poll, who thinks it's a good idea to do a Kane Chronicles/Night at the Museum crossover? It could be so cool if I could pull it off.**

**Love ya'll (even as I try to break your hearts) and here is what you all came here to see!**

Chapter 14: Never Give Up

Nicky was frustrated. He had really wanted to go back to the museum last night, but he was grounded after the incident with Jake. Today was Saturday, and his dad had promised to play some street hockey with him, so at least he could look forward to that. He checked the clock. Larry would probably come and get him soon. He was five minutes late now, but that was not unusual. He was probably stopping for coffee and hot cocoa to share.

It was only when his dad was an hour late that Nicky really started worrying. Where was he? He picked up the home phone and dialed Larry's number, but there was no answer. He chewed his bottom lip and sat down on the couch, nervous. What could have possibly happened to him? He turned on the TV and flipped through the channels. He settled on Cartoon Network, and sat watching, trying to distract himself. Maybe he was just in trouble with Dr. McPhee again.

He heard the phone ringing just a minute too late; he wasn't in time to pick it up. All he knew was that it wasn't his dad's number.

He nearly jumped out of his skin when the apartment door opened, letting in a very beat-up looking Larry Daley.

"Dad!" Nicky ran over and wrapped his arms around his dad's waist, relieved. Larry let out a grunt of pain but hugged him back. "Are you okay? What took you so long?"

"I had to go to the doctor. I hurt my neck and had to see if there was anything really wrong with it. I also got a bit of a cut on my chest that needed some attention. But I'm fine now." Nicky frowned a little.

"Was it Ahk?"

"Sort of." His dad clearly didn't want to say anything else about it, so Nicky let it go.

"I guess we can't play street hockey now, huh?"

"Are you kidding? We'll still play! But you'll have to go easy on me!"

"No promises." Larry changed into something more comfortable and made Nick put on his jacket.

"It's chilly this morning, so don't take that off!"

x

xx

Ahk had not killed Larry, as you may have guessed. With a smile as cold as ice he had cut Larry's chest, but only just. It was a long cut but not deep, and Larry had only had it checked because he was worried about how clean the khopesh was.

"I would have killed you if you had fought me," he had informed Larry. He was serious and deadly.

"I… I know." In truth, Larry was still not sure that he wasn't dead. He had reached a trembling hand up to touch the bleeding cut. His mind had been racing, still trying to catch up with what had happened.

"I'm not sure what to make of you, night guard," Ahk had said, a more human note coming into his voice and face. Larry wasn't sure what had prompted the test – because clearly that's what it was – but he was just glad he had passed it. The pharaoh had let him go, the sword still in his hand. Larry felt cold all over now, as he thought about it. He come within a few inches of death and it was a very scary place to be – but only afterwards. As it was, he was enjoying every detail of the crisp fall morning, even the biting wind that made his nose run and cheeks turn red.

…

That night, Larry put off going into the museum as long as he dared. He didn't want to face Ahk, and he didn't want to face the fact that he was terrified of dying. However, he knew he had to go in and let the pharaoh out before he started thinking Larry was trying to get revenge for what had happened yesterday. That would ruin everything.

He climbed out of his car with a sigh, trying not to overthink his job. Go in, do the usual things, let Ahkmenrah out of the coffin (insert panic attack), organize a few activities, and hopefully not die anywhere in that space of time. He walked into the building and locked the door behind him.

"Teddy!" The President, who was trotting around checking on everyone, stopped before leaving the lobby, and grinned.

"Thank heavens, Lawrence! I was worried that you weren't coming."

"No, I'm here." Larry patted Rexy's nose and threw one of his rib bones for him. "I think I better go let Ahk out of his sarcophagus."

x

xx

Ahk was terrified. It had been about five minutes since he had woken up, and he was beginning to fear he would never be let out. He slammed his fists and knees and head into the lid, yelling loudly and ceaselessly with no words.

How familiar. Years. Fifty-four years of this. Pain and darkness and no room to move for than a finger. Not again. He should never had threatened the security guard. He should have known this would happen. He could feel the whole sarcophagus shaking as he struggled with every fiber of his being to get out.

He was slamming his palms into the lid when he felt it shift just a little. If he hadn't been making so much noise, he would have known it was being unlocked, but as it was, he only knew it was moving. His screams rose in volume and he redoubled his efforts, fighting the tiny space.

Suddenly, as he hit the lid with his palms, it flew off, arcing through the air to crash to the ground some ten feet away. He stopped moving, panting, then slowly sat up. He looked and saw the tall, dark-haired night guard standing by the foot of his sarcophagus. The whole situation felt strangely familiar. Ahk felt an insistent pressure inside his skull.

It was the locks clicking… the young man pushing away the lid… sitting up and thinking something was funny… telling the scientists who he was and… another time. Slamming the lid away, just like now. Sitting up and pulling away the wrappings and seeing this same man standing there, asking him to tell his jackals to leave him alone… who was he? Himself speaking English… surprising the researchers… surprising this man… His Tablet, stolen…

Ahk shook his head violently back and forth, pictures and sensations coming back to him fast, very fast. Too fast to understand. A name, a name. What was the tall man's name?

Larry Daley.

Ahk glanced up and rubbed a hand over his face, confused. The night guard… he did know him, like Sacagawea and Nicky had told him. But how…? He climbed out of his coffin and stepped closer to the guard. The man took a step away, clearly nervous.

"Larry. Larry Daley." Ahk said the words as a statement, when he really wanted to ask a hundred questions.

"Yeah," said the other man, cautiously. "That's my name. I thought… I thought you didn't know who I was."

"I don't. But I know your name. And I'm supposed to know you. At least, it seems like it." Ahk detested the weak sound of his own voice. "Not that it matters," he added angrily, pushing past Larry to get his jewels and gauntlets and sandals.

"We should treat your burn again." Ahk did not turn around. He didn't want to acknowledge that he'd ever let this man help him. "It'll get better faster if we do."

"Maybe later," he relented. "Excuse me." Thankfully, the night guard took his hint and left, and Ahkmenrah let out a long breath. He put the rest of his clothes on, feeling a leaden exhaustion that was now so familiar to him. Why didn't he have more energy? His stomach was still not in good condition; he didn't realize that some of the pills he had been forced to take had done damage to his stomach lining and he was still recovering.

He felt dizzy and decided to go walk around and think about things. Wandering past the offices and locker room, he heard two voices coming from inside of an office with a bronze nameplate on the door.

"Yeah, I know, Teddy, but I don't know how much progress this actually is. For all we know it's just a random thing or one of his good moments and he'll be the same as ever in a few hours.

"Lawrence, you have to have faith. The lad needs time to get better."

"Time is one thing we're a little bit short on, Teddy! If he was awake during the day and if he wasn't a pharaoh and if, if, if… so many ifs, and then just maybe we could see some lasting improvement. I'm so tired of this, President Roosevelt. What else do you expect me to feel?" The voice, which Ahk correctly assumed was the night guard's, was bitter.

"I can't believe you're giving up just when we've begun to see progress!"

"I'm not giving up!"

"Yes you are, son."

"What else am I supposed to do? Every time I think we're getting somewhere he just relapses or freaks out or tries to kill me, for heaven's sake!"

Ahk decided to intervene. The conversation was making him uncomfortable. Quietly composing himself, he pushed open the door and caught the two men in the room with their mouths still open. The night guard (_Larry_, Ahk reminded himself) looked instantly embarrassed, and the other man – Sacagawea had told him his name but he had forgotten it already – seemed either pleased to see him or wary. Probably both.

"I think I'd like you to treat my back now." He couldn't think of another excuse to be there, and eavesdropping would doubtless get him in trouble – wouldn't it?

"Oh, um, yeah, right. I'll get the medicine and be right back." As Larry brushed past him, Ahkmenrah couldn't help but flinch away. The mustachioed man was watching him still, so Ahk uncomfortably sat down on a plush chair and tried to look like he hadn't heard a word of their talk.

"Is something bothering you, Pharaoh?" The impersonal address made Ahk think of Professor Fellowes. It didn't help that this man had similar spectacles… "Ahk?"

"Nothing." Ahkmenrah's tone was very sharp.

"If you say so, son." They sat in frustrating silence for what felt like a long time before Larry Daley came back into the room.

"Here, Ahk." He moved carefully around behind the pharaoh and started applying the medication with one hand. Ahk could feel his fingers trembling with nervous tension. He sat completely still, his owns hands clenched into fists, and his back ramrod straight. He felt the horrible sting and then the relieving sensation of the numbing agent in the medicine and let out a tiny sigh that was barely audible, but he thought Larry noticed it because the night guard's trembling lessened. "That's done now," said Larry briskly. "We can reapply tomorrow night if you want."

Ahkmenrah didn't answer him right away. He just sat still for a long few minutes, thinking hard. His head ached. He was wrestling with the fear in his mind, trying to decide whether or not to ask Larry Daley a question. All his instincts told him not to, to just go and get some rest, but the real Ahkmenrah didn't want to leave just yet. He was oblivious to the concerned glances Teddy and Larry gave each other, concentrating totally on his inner struggle.

Finally he stood, exhaustion and fear winning out over his curiosity, and nodded to the other men in the room before leaving.

x

xx

Teddy sighed and leaned back against the wall as the young pharaoh left, shaking his head. "Really, could you have acted less like yourself, Larry?" he chided. "You were shaking like a leaf and as grumpy as a rhino who's been shot in the behind."

"You flatter me," snorted Larry sourly.

"This is ridiculous, lad! Did you see him? Did he look like he was going to kill someone to you? Because I only saw a very lost, very confused teenager."

"Teddy, I don't get it. One night you're furious at him and the next you're not."

"You ought to know, Lawrence… I was never angry at him. I thought I was at first, but it's not his fault and I realized that soon enough. None of this is. My boy, sometimes things happen beyond our control. Then all we can do is hang tight and hope we're strong enough to make it through." He sighed and took his spectacles off, feeling tired. "I think Ahkmenrah has the strength if we will only help him. And you," his tone hardened "are not helping him very much by sitting there feeling sorry for yourself!"

"Feeling sorry for myself?!" Larry snapped indignantly. "What are you talking about? I think I'm acting pretty reasonable considering the fact that I almost died last night!" Teddy noticed a note of guilt in his voice, however, and narrowed his eyes.

"You know exactly what I mean. You're wishing you had a different job and that someone else had to deal with this, or that those Colorado researchers had never asked to examine Ahk. Stop wishing for things that aren't possible! Life is far too short to waste in that kind of thinking."

"I'm not… I don't know what you're talking about."

"Damn it, Lawrence! Get it together! You're our night guard. Like or not, it's up to you to help Ahk recover. I'm not going to do it for you, and he can't do it on his own. Your son was smacked and chased and scared by Ahk and he hasn't given up! And he's only nine! You could take a lesson or two from him!" Teddy sighed, rubbing his face with his hand. "I'm sorry, my friend. I shouldn't have been so harsh. But for God's sake, man, now is not a good time to get depressed and lazy!"

Larry scowled and looked away, scuffing his foot against the floor. Teddy relented a little, feeling a rush of sympathy for his friend. He shouldn't be surprised that this was so hard for him. The night guard had been the first of them to really get to know Ahk, the first of them to trust him, and he would probably never give up on him now – although at the moment he seemed awfully close to doing just that.

"I believe you can do this, Larry," said Teddy gently. "Why don't you rest a bit and I'll take care of things this evening. I'll only get you if the world is ending or something equally catastrophic." Larry protested, of course, but Teddy refused to even listen. "I insist. You're tired and need a break. Stay in here, Mr. Daley." He turned and left the office.


	17. Chapter 15: A Pharaoh in Truth

**It's another chapter guys! This is a pretty light-hearted chapter, although it's still important. **

**I noticed some people are wondering why Teddy seems to be having mood swings. If that's you, I'm sorry! It took me a while to get a hang of his character, so I had to try to correctly portray him while giving reasons for his emotions. Erp. **

**Read and review because reviews are AMAZING. **

**Peace!**

Chapter 15: A Pharaoh in Truth

Larry fell asleep as soon as Teddy was gone. He was hoping for restful sleep with no dreams, but that was not to be. As his eyes closed, he found himself back in Ahk's tomb, facing down the pharaoh's sword. However, this time Ahk did kill him. Everything was black for a moment, then he was suddenly standing in a dark room. A pair of scales, one side holding a glowing golden feather and the other empty, sat alone in the middle of the room. A large monster that looked like a crocodile's head on a lion's front legs and a hippo's butt was growling and staring at him hungrily. Larry stared around, nervous. Where was he?

"Larry Daley." He turned and looked for the source of the voice, but saw no one. Then a blue-skinned man with a long beard and a white crown similar to Ahk's stepped forward next to the scales. Larry wondered briefly what he'd eaten before coming to the museum; maybe seafood? Seafood usually gave him an upset stomach and weird dreams.

Finally, however, it clicked in his mind. The scales, the monster, the blue pharaoh… he was in the Hall of Judgment from Egyptian mythology. _Oh, crap_, he thought. _I'm going to have my heart weighed against a feather_. _I hope it's a really heavy feather_.

"Larry Daley, you are not here to be judged since you are not really dead," said the blue pharaoh. "You are here because you are worried and seek answers. The Pharaoh Ahkmenrah is on your mind."

"Um, yeah. That's true," said Larry, awkwardly. He had definitely had seafood.

"The battle between Ma'at and Isfet in his mind is very fierce. You must trust him."

"What do you mean? I've been trusting him."

"Give him back his weapons. He will not trust himself unless you trust him first. But of course, you already know this." The blue pharaoh stepped closer and lifted the feather off of the scale, twirling it between his long fingers. "I want you to crown him pharaoh again. He has not worn the crown since before being experimented on. He does not feel worthy to be pharaoh anymore because he's ashamed of his own fear." The man looked up and locked eyes with Larry, and Larry froze in place, literally unable to move. "Go now, Larry Daley. The Pharaoh will need you. He is the embodiment of my son Horus and the descendant of Ra. Don't fail him and don't let him fail himself."

Larry woke up with a start and fell off the chair he had been slumped in. Getting up, he blinked blearily and rubbed his face. "That was weird," he muttered. He didn't ignore the dream, however. Whether it was a creation of his overworked mind or a message from someone else or some combination thereof, the advice the blue pharaoh had given him made too much sense to ignore. He stretched and walked to the cabinet where he had been keeping Ahk's case of weapons. Four wickedly sharp daggers and a khopesh. Larry thought for a moment, then left the office and hurried through the lobby, up the stairs, and into Ahk's tomb. Much to his relief, the pharaoh was nowhere in sight. He hung the case of weapons back where they always were, then walked over to the display containing Ahk's clothing. It only held his cloak and crown now, so Larry reached in and pulled out the gold crown. He frowned, seeing that it was dull and lacked its usual sheen, so he carried it into Sacagawea's exhibit. The Shoshone woman wasn't there, but some of her things were. He picked up a blanket that had been abandoned on the floor of the raised exhibit and started rubbing the crown firmly until it had a nice shine to it. Then he hurried downstairs to the front desk and grabbed the PA mic. **"Everyone please come down to the lobby. No pushing, no talking, just come on down and sit on the floor. We're going to perform a bit of a ceremony."** Then he put down the mic and sat down on the spinning desk chair, waiting. Before long everyone was there. Ahkmenrah and Jed were the last to arrive – Jed was riding on the pharaoh's shoulder and talking up a storm.

"What's this all about, Gigantor?" he yelled, his southern drawl making both Larry and Ahk smile.

"Well," said Larry slowly, addressing Ahk and very aware that this whole idea could backfire easily, "I thought we'd crown you pharaoh. Kind of a refresher ceremony after like 4,000 years and stuff. Besides, no one ever officially made you pharaoh of the museum and I thought it was about time someone did." Ahk looked confused. Carefully he lifted Jed off his shoulder onto the desk.

"Now?" he asked.

"Yes. Right now. These guys are here just to see your coronation." Ahkmenrah looked out at everyone, bewildered, but there was a faint gleam in his eye.

"I suppose you can do that, Larry Daley," he said, turning back to him. Larry let out a small sigh of relief. He brought Ahk to the middle of the room in front of everyone. He beckoned Sacagawea up to the front and handed her the crown to hold for a minute.

"Alright everyone!" he called. Thankfully they all seemed able to hear him. "We are going to name Ahkmenrah the ruler of this museum. Who agrees that Ahk would be a good pharaoh?" Deafening cheers rang out, everyone clapping and braying and roaring and nodding. Ahk looked shocked. "Okay, now shut up and let me do this right!" Larry hoped he would do this well enough that it didn't seem like a mockery. He turned and took the crown carefully from Sacagawea, smiling at her. He faced Ahkmenrah, and took a deep breath.

"I name you the Pharaoh Ahkmenrah, descendant of Ra, embodiment of Horus, ruler of Upper and Lower Egypt… and this museum." Gently but firmly Larry set the crown on Ahk's head, and the whole lobby rang with applause.

x

xx

Ahk stared into the gray eyes of the night guard, stunned beyond words. He felt a surge of energy flood through his veins, and he allowed the smallest smile to creep across his face. He stood up straight. He felt someone help him into his cloak, and even the stab of pain he felt when it brushed his burned back did not take away the feeling of power that rushed over him.

He inclined his head slightly to the night guard, respect and thankfulness temporarily banishing his fear. Then he picked Jed up again and left the lobby, overwhelmed.

"Well, thet was great!" Jed said cheerfully, lounging on his silk-clad shoulder. "So now yer a pharaoh of two kingdoms at the same time!" Ahk smiled faintly again. The tiny cowman amused him, although he still wasn't sure he fully understood why he was so small. He had, however, figured out not to make a big deal about his size. The cowboy got remarkably touchy about it.

He walked into his tomb and set Jedidiah on the lid of his sarcophagus, where the blond promptly sat down on the raised image of Ahk's nose. He himself sat against the coffin so that Jed was above him. "So, Jolly Gold Giant, how's it feel ta be a pharaoh?" Ahk frowned, annoyed and confused by the nickname. "Sorry, Ahk," Jed said, seeing his face. "I should probably be more careful what I call you and Larry. So, you like bein' pharaoh?"

"Yes. Definitely."

"So are you really the embo- well, are you actually that hawk-headed guy Larry mentioned?"

"Supposedly. All pharaohs are."

"Does that mean you can do crazy stuff like make me real tiny guns that actually fire?" the cowman asked hopefully.

Ahk chuckled a little. "Unfortunately, no."

Jed cursed and slumped on his seat. "Was worth a try, I guess." Ahk sighed and closed his eyes, taking a few deep breaths. He was still struggling with what had just happened. He had not expected to have a coronation, much less from the night guard. If he was honest with himself, he didn't want to be wearing his crown. It felt as if it didn't belong to him. How could it? He had given up when being experimented on, had let the Professor and the security guards force him to do what they wanted. How had he let that happen? As if in answer, there was a twinge of pain from his stomach. He scowled and closed his eyes.

"My liege? Ahkmenrah?" The accented voice, dignified and polite as always, shook Ahk out of his thoughts.

"Ocky!" Jed got up and hurried to the edge of the sarcophagus lid.

"Hello, Jedidiah!" Octavius stood staring up at Ahk, his plumed helmet listing slightly to one side. "Would you mind… ah, helping me up, your majesty?" Ahk obliged easily, allowing Octavius to step onto his hand. He carefully lifted him up next to Jed and then withdrew his hand, smiling a little.

"Did ya need somethin', Ocky?"

"Not really, Jedidiah, I just wondered where you were and Larry said you were with the young pharaoh." Octavius nodded to Ahk politely.

Ahkmenrah liked the miniatures. Their banter and their completely opposite ways of talking and thinking made their friendship a fascinating thing. That, combined with their overall strangeness (honestly, their clothes were unbelievable), made them amusing and enjoyable people to be around. And since even when they were furious they weren't all that threatening, Ahk wasn't even a little bit afraid of them.

"Well, we ain't doin' much. Just talkin' about how Ahk is a god." Jed proclaimed, tipping his hat back on his blond head. Octavius frowned.

"He is? Which one?"

"Um, I don't remember the name… but the one with a hawk head instead of a human one."

"There's no such-" Octavius stopped, his small face turning red with embarrassment. Ahk raised an eyebrow, wanting to laugh. "What I mean is, there is no Roman god that looks like that."

"It ain't a _Roman_ god, toga boy," chuckled Jed, exasperated. "This here's an _Egyptian_ king, if you'll remember, and he's also an _Egyptian_ god."

"Well, not exactly," Ahk interrupted, seeing that Octavius was both confused and uncomfortable. "That's just my title. I don't think I'm actually Horus." The small Roman was clearly still not understanding, so Ahkmenrah just shrugged and closed his eyes again.

"Jed," he heard Octavius whisper. "Ahk is acting rather normal, but all this claiming to be a god business… are we sure he's still himself? What if he, I don't know, goes crazy again and tells his jackals to squash us? We'd be flatter than those things you talk about so much, what are they?"

"Flapjacks?"

"Yes. We should be flatter than flapjacks and no one would ever know what happened to us."

"Look, Ocky, I was jist teasin' ya. Of course he ain't a god." Ahk smiled faintly at Jed's too-loud whisper. "And don't worry. If he starts speakin' Egyptian and starin' at us real mean-like we'll know thet we have to run before we get killed."

"Oh. Well, if you say so, Jedidiah." Ahk had the strangest urge to say something harmless in Egyptian, just to see the miniatures panic. Why on earth would he want to do that? He thought hard for a minute. Strange, it was like… Jed was always teasing Octavius. Was it like that? Just a joke? He laughed a little at himself.

"What's so funny, Ahk?" Jed called.

"Nothing, Jed," said Ahk, opening his eyes lazily. "_You two just make me laugh sometimes, and I don't know why_," he added in his native tongue, his tone mysterious. Octavius' eyes widened, and Jed frowned a little.

"My liege, are you alright?" asked the Roman, nervously. Ahk glanced over at his jackals.

"_Stand closer to this inner entrance and don't let anyone in_," he ordered sharply. As the two guards moved towards them, Jed let out a terrified yell, and Octavius jumped in between his friend and Ahkmenrah, pulling out his tiny sword.

Ahk burst out laughing, probably harder than the situation warranted, and the two miniatures backed even further away.

"Are you crazy, Ahkmenrah?!" yelled Jed. "You're gonna kill us and yer laughin' about it?!"

"No," Ahk said, pausing for breath. "If you two are going to have a secret conversation about me killing you, you shouldn't whisper so loud."

Octavius and Jedidiah looked at each other, embarrassed, but the Westerner slowly smiled.

"So you were just prankin' us?"

"I… I think so," said Ahkmenrah, the unfamiliar term giving him pause.

"Wait till I tell Larry!" yelled Jed jubilantly. "He'll jest about drop dead!" Ahk frowned a little.

"Is that good?"

"Yes! You're getting' better, Ahk! You really are!" Jedidiah practically jumped off the sarcophagus in his excitement, but thankfully Octavius grabbed his friend's vest and jerked him to a stop.

"Slow down, Jedidiah! We've survived far too many things for you to waste it all by jumping to your death. Will you help us, my liege?" Ahk smiled and complied, watching them walk – very slowly, to his eyes – out of his tomb and out of sight.

"_You may go back to your original positions_," Ahk told his guards. He relaxed, feeling comfortably tired. The surge of energy from earlier had not so much erased his exhaustion as it had lessened his emotional turmoil. For the first time in years he fell asleep, sagging against his sarcophagus and dreaming of his beloved Egypt.

x

xx

Jed was disappointed when Larry did not drop dead. Of course, he did stand there with his mouth half open for 32 seconds (Jed counted), but it would've been so much funnier if he had done as he predicted and literally fallen over. Even a faint would've been nice.

"Yer gonna catch flies if you don't close yer mouth soon, Gigantor," Jed informed him, grinning. "I take it yer surprised?"

"Surprised? Jedidiah Smith, how did you do it? I mean…" Larry shook his head. "He hasn't been in as much pain lately, and with his memory coming back a little he must be feeling better. And he never disliked you two. It might be because of… your... um, stature." Jed snorted. It could be amusing how careful Gigantor was not to mention his height – or lack thereof. Sometimes, though, it was just downright stupid.

"I didn't do nothin, 'cept for talk too loud next to his ear," he said, chuckling a little.

"Octavius?"

"Well, I said something about flapjacks, but I don't think we really did anything unusual, sir." Larry laughed, shaking his head.

"Unbelievable. He spends five minutes with you two, and… wow."

Jed huffed out an annoyed sigh. How unbelievable was it, really, that they had worked a change in the pharaoh? Honestly, between his rugged good looks and Octavius' solid common sense, they were the perfect dream team to get Ahk back to normal.

"Gigantor, you're pretty thick-headed, you know that?" Octavius made a face, torn between amusement and his usual inclination to be respectful of Larry. Jed liked Ocky, sure, but the general was much more nervous around the big people than he was, almost embarrassingly so.

"Um, yes Jed, I've been told that several times tonight, actually."

"Well, I'm tellin' you again. Me and Ocky could probably convince Ahk to do a square dance if we tried." Larry and Octavius burst out laughing. Jed grinned at his Roman friend, proud of himself.

"Do it, Jed, I dare you. Not now, of course, but once he's entirely better, you and Octavius teach him how to square dance," Larry challenged him.

"Aw, shucks, Gigantor, give us somethin' hard to do!"

"Ah, well, Jedidiah, I would agree with you except that I don't know how to square dance yet myself."

"Oh yeah. Well, next time we have a hoedown in my diorama I'll invite you and some of yer men."

"Agreed."

Jed smiled and sat down on a museum –themed paperweight, propping his boots up on Larry's hand. "Admit it, Gigantor," he drawled, taking off his hat and shaking out his blond curls. "Without us you'd be hopeless."

"Probably so, Jed," Larry replied with a grin. "Probably so."


	18. Chapter 16: Guilt

**Hey guys! Another chapter! I've been writing a lot lately because I've got so many ideas and they're practically pouring out of me onto the page. It's pretty amazing.**

**_Dragonninja-fan_****: Very sweet ;)**

**_RainGirl9_****: Square dancing is coming up, just for you (and I admit I was already planning on it)**

**_Fuzzball6846_****: Actually, yes! In this very chapter! You guys have the same ideas I do!**

**_divergentlover523_****: This is probably sooner than you were expecting, yes?**

**SuperPsychoLove: Aw, thanks so much! xD**

**_TheLadyKnightofEdoras_****: Why thank you!**

Chapter 16: Guilt

Octavius did not know why he had agreed to learn square dancing. The cowgirl he was dancing with (he thought she was Jed's sister) was lovely and made his own clumsy dancing look less ridiculous, but he still felt terribly inept and stupid. Jed had given him an extra pair of jeans, a t-shirt, and a pair of boots, saying that if he wanted to dance then a toga wasn't going to cut it. Octavius had refrained from mentioning that Romans didn't even wear togas most days. Jed would just laugh.

He understood, now, why he had to wear different clothes, but that didn't make him any less uncomfortable. At least Jedidiah hadn't made him wear a hat. That would've been too much. He smiled ruefully as he put a foot wrong (again) and would have tripped his partner if she hadn't been so graceful. With a teasing grin and a beautiful laugh she jumped over his foot and stomped one of her booted feet on the floor twice. He heard the caller order for them to swing their partners and sighed. At least he was alright at that. He hefted the girl easily and spun her around. She laughed, and taking his hand, led him out of their square.

"You ain't the best at thet, are ya?" Her tone was teasing. "At least you're strong." From anyone else that would've sounded condescending, but honestly Octavius didn't mind. The girl was like a hummingbird: here, there and everywhere, as bright as day and soon gone. "Yer better than some of your men." She gestured to his friend Marcus, who had just fallen and tripped two Westerners. One of them was furious, the other was laughing uproariously. Octavius was pretty sure that they were both drunk.

"What is your name?" he asked politely.

"Aw, sorry, I should've told ya earlier." She stuck out a hand, grinning, her eyes sparkling with mischief. "Lily Rose Smith, pleased to meet ya. I already know your name, but just t' make it even, introduce yerself."

"I'm Octavius." The Roman general felt foolish, but Lily Rose's cheeky smile made him feel better. She took off her hat and tossed it to him.

"Hold that, General." She quickly unbraided her curly brown hair, which had begun to fall around her face, and redid it with deft fingers. "Alright." She snatched her hat back and put it on her head. Eyes sparkling, she winked at him. "Come on, Toga Boy, let's go grab a few beers and see where Jed is."

"Toga Boy?" Octavius felt slightly piqued. It was one thing when Jedidiah called him that, but his little sister?

"Sorry, Jed calls you thet when he's mad at ya. Would you rather I just called ya Octavius?"

"Yes," Octavius admitted, smiling slightly. The girl had spunk.

"Well, then you can just call me Rose. Jed! Hey, Jed!" The girl looked around a little, then groaned. "The idiot's not in here. If I know him, he's outside fighting with some drunk again. No one wants to fight him when they're sober, but he's such a cocky son of a gun that everyone has some kind of grudge against him. Drunk men are the only ones stupid enough to do something about it." They hurried out of the old barn and into the bright light of the exhibit. Sure enough, Jed was grappling with another Westerner on the dusty ground.

Octavius scowled, shaking his head. If Jedidiah wasn't such a hothead he would know that fighting someone just because they're too drunk to control themselves was pointless. Lily Rose marched over and slammed her foot into the seat of the other cowboy's pants. The man yowled and Jed pulled away, dusty and sweaty and grinning like a crazy man.

"Hey, Rose! Ocky! What are ya'll doin' out-" Octavius bit back a laugh when Rose smacked her brother across the face. Jedidiah expression was priceless. He winced and worked his jaw a minute. "Alright, I may have deserved that but-" She smacked him again.

"You definitely deserved that, my friend," laughed Octavius. Jed scowled at him.

"Would ya stop gettin' in fights with drunken idiots all the time, Jed?" his sister snapped.

"Sorry," Jed muttered, embarrassed. Octavius laughed again.

"Do you want to go for a ride in the car, Jedidiah?" he asked, smiling.

"Yeah, sure, why not?" Jed grimaced and turned to Rose. "And if my little sister wants to come I won't say no."

"You're hopeless, Jed," sighed the girl, flipping her braid over her shoulder and retrieving Jed's hat from the dust. "Put yer hat back on. I'm gonna go grab a beer for myself and then we can go. And by the way, Octavius is drivin'. Yer a little tipsy and I am not sitting in a car with you in the front seat." She turned and marched back into the barn, her boots sending up little puffs of sand and dirt.

"So what d'ya think of my little sister, eh Ocky?" Jed said settling his hat on his head and spitting to one side.

"Well, she's a good dancer."

"She sure is." Jed glanced at him, grinning. "Very pretty, too."

"Yes, I suppose so." Octavius crossed his arms over his chest.

"Aw, you Romans are hopeless. You want yer armor and things back?"

"Yes, Jedidiah, I do. But maybe not until later." Jed nodded, a mischievous glint in his eyes, and Octavius bit back a groan. If he knew his friend (which he did) Jedidiah had some kind of trick up his sleeve for the night, and it would probably be embarrassing.

"Alright, I'm ready ta go!" Lily Rose came back outside, a half pint of dark beer in her hand. "And Octavius, you stop whenever you run into Larry or Teddy or Sacagawea or… well, or Ahkmenrah. I haven't met any of them. Of course, I blame this smelly, lazy lump over here." Jed scowled and crossed his arms. Rose winked cheerfully at Octavius, and the Roman felt an unfamiliar fluttering in his stomach.

x

xx

Larry was startled when the small car literally ran into his foot. He had been doing more research on his laptop, digging around for anything that could help Ahk, and then there was a bump on his foot. Looking down, he saw the bone-mobile, Octavius in the driver's seat – was he wearing jeans? And was that a girl next to him? Instantly intrigued, Larry pushed his laptop away and picked up the car, setting it on the desk in front of him.

"Octavius?" he asked incredulously, fighting back a laugh when he noticed Jed in the back seat, dusty and clearly frustrated.

"Hello, Larry," said the general, smiling. "Jed and I thought we'd introduce you to his little sister. We were square dancing and got tired of it, so here we are."

"Howdy!" The girl, who was very pretty for a miniature, got out of the car and tipped her cream-colored felt hat to Larry. "I'm Lily Rose Smith, and Jed's my idiot big brother. How do ya do?"

Larry laughed, delighted and amused. "I'm good, thanks. How come I've never met you before?"

"Jedidiah doesn't like lettin' me leave the diorama. Thinks I'll git squashed or somethin'."

"Not true!" Jed hopped out of the car and marched forward. His eyes were twinkling as always, which told Larry that he wasn't really mad at his sister, although his posture said otherwise. "Gigantor, don't believe a word she says."

Larry glanced over at Octavius, who had also gotten out of the car and was leaning on the hood of it. He looked more relaxed than Larry was used to, although the fact that he was in jeans, boots, and a t-shirt probably contributed to that.

What really surprised Larry, though, was how the general was watching Lily Rose. He was smiling a little, clearly amused by how she bantered back and forth with Jed, but if Larry didn't know better he would say that Octavius had a crush.

"Octavius, tell 'im!" pleaded Jed, exasperated. "He's not even listenin' ta me."

"I wouldn't know, Jedidiah," said the general, chuckling. "I didn't even know you had a sister until tonight." Lily Rose laughed and kicked her brother in the shin.

"Yer outnumbered, Jed," she said teasingly. "General Octavius agrees with me."

"Well, I never said that," interrupted Octavius, blushing. Wait. Blushing? Larry grinned broadly and glanced at Jed. The cowboy had seen it too and was apparently trying hard not to laugh.

"Oh, well, you agree with me," Lily Rose informed him lightly. "Now let's go meet that pharaoh." Larry was about to interrupt when she held up a hand to forestall any protests. "I know all bout his problems, thanks very much, and I want ta meet him anyways. I'm goin'."

"Going where?"

Larry was definitely the most surprised to hear Ahk's voice. It was unnerving how quietly the pharaoh could walk sometimes. He would just appear out of nowhere and scare you out of your wits.

"Oh, hey Ahk!" he said, smiling and turning to face the young Egyptian. "This young lady, Lily Rose, was just on her way upstairs to meet you."

Ahk bent down so he was on eye level with the miniatures, the smallest of smiles lighting his features.

"Hi."

"Howdy," Lily Rose said, smiling and tilting her hat back on her head. "You're Ahkmenrah?"

"Yes."

"That's one mouthful of a name. Jed just calls ya Ahk though."

"Most of the people here do," said the pharaoh with a shrug. "I've gotten used to it."

"Well, I'm goin' to call ya Ahk too. So, Ahk, you're handsome." Larry guffawed, then cleared his throat and rubbed his jaw when Ahk shot him a look.

"Thank you."

"Anyway, I heard you've been having a rough time of it." Jed immediately tried to jump in and say something, and Lily Rose gave him a withering glare.

Larry wasn't sure what was funnier: how clearly uncomfortable and fidgety Octavius suddenly was or how taken aback Ahkmenrah was at the direct approach the small cowgirl was taking.

"I suppose you could say that," said Ahkmenrah cautiously.

"Thet's too bad. Ya know, my ma and pa died when I was little. Since then I've only got clumsy ole Jed here to take care of me." Ahk looked interested.

"I'm sorry."

"Yeah, well, I got used to it," said the pretty cowgirl with a shrug. "Things happen. You hurt fer a little bit, then you git out of the dust and git back to life. Ya never really forget, but it don't hurt as much after a while."

Ahk frowned a little, thinking. "You seem wise for such a young person," he said with a faint smile.

"Ain't I just? You go to the school of hard knocks and you learn a few things." Lily Rose leaned over and kissed Ahk's cheek. He could probably barely feel it, but he was surprised enough as it was. Larry laughed, smiling at Ahkmenrah.

"I came down to talk to you, Mr. Daley," said the pharaoh, hesitantly. "I was talking to Sacagawea, and she thinks I should talk to you and, well, ask you a few questions. She told me that you know me better than she does." Larry nodded slowly.

"Alright. How about we go in the Hall of African Mammals and talk there? There won't be anyone to listen in on us except the animals, and I have to keep an eye on the lions anyway." Ahkmenrah agreed with a sigh. Larry noticed that he kept putting his hand up to his crown as if to adjust it - or maybe take it off. He wasn't sure.

x

xx

It was dark and too close and suffocating. There was heavy weight pressing in on him from all sides, restricting his movement painfully. His stomach hurt, his head hurt, and he was having difficulty breathing. He felt nauseous but could not move to throw up. Panic and sickness and pain and darkness – he struggled against the pressing blackness, terror rising in his chest. It was horrible. Not again, not again, not again!

Professor Fellowes jerked awake with a strangled gasp. He rolled over in his silk-covered bed and flung the blankets off him. Getting up, he sat on the edge of the bed, panting and fighting back tears. It was the fourth night in a row that he had had this nightmare, and it only grew worse every night. He choked back a sob and stood up, pacing back and forth on the floor.

He had several theories about where the dreams came from. As a scientist, his automatic response to an unusual situation was to analyze it. His first theory was the least plausible now: he had eaten something that disagreed with him. However, he had to discount that one because four nights in the row of the same dream could not be caused by food.

His second theory was that he had a strange disease that caused the symptoms he had dreamed about and it was a premonition of some kind. He had gotten tested today and it seemed that he was perfectly healthy. This forced him to think more carefully about his third theory: he was feeling guilty.

He had never thought that after experimenting on the dead pharaoh would come back to haunt him. And maybe it never would have if Larry Daley didn't keep calling him. The night guard was forcing him to stare his own cruelty in the face and Edwin Fellowes hated it. He wanted it to go away. Even the money he had made, the scientific and historical discoveries that had caused him such excitement and pleasure, and the esteem his own colleagues gave him seemed cheap because of his guilt. And he didn't appreciate it. He wanted to slip back into his old conviction that the pharaoh was not really alive and therefore didn't deserve the respect due another human being.

John had also contributed to these nightmares. Only a few days ago the young intern had "quit", telling him in no uncertain terms what he thought about the Professor's methods, the Professor's ethics, and even the Professor's career. Then he had left and Fellowes was left to sort through the disdain of two people who asserted quite forcefully that the mummy he had experimented on was actually alive and deserved better.

And still he might not be so conflicted if one of the older men who had been working with him hadn't also taken him aside and had a long talk with him. This man had apparently been feeling guilty as well, and not only that, firmly believed they had done the wrong thing and should make it right. He had been very convincing and scientific, which had really been what did it for Edwin. He was practically being forced to feel guilty through logic. Really, it was absurd.

During the day he had been able to laugh it off and go about his work, but right now he was beginning to wonder if he should possibly try to apologize. Perhaps he had been wrong. Would it be worth it to go down to New York and just… find out how the pharaoh was? He probably owed it to the night guard, anyway. And what harm could it do? He would be able to put this stupid feeling of shame to rest once and for all, and make everyone happy. Yes, that would be worth it. And maybe once he did he would stop having these terrible dreams.

**A/N: So what do you think of Lily Rose Smith? Please let me know whether you want to see her again! She can be in the story more or less or not at all, it's up to you! Peace!**


	19. Chapter 17: Home Phillip Phillips

**Hey guys! I have gotten another chapter written already! Geesh! So, to everyone who liked Lily Rose, thank you! To those of you who wanted less of her or did not like her, sorry :) I won't put her in as a main character for sure and probably won't write about her a lot, but since most of you seem to like her I'll give her a little bit of time to shine. I'll probably give her her own fanfic eventually though so I won't overdo her in this one.**

**Thank you to everyone who reviewed (I love you guys!) and Happy Valentine's Day! Being single rocks!**

**_Dragonninja-fan_****: Why are you crying into a fish?**

**_RainGirl9_****: Ahk's gods have not been sending dreams to anyone, except MAYBE Larry. Thought I'd clarify that since it's a confusing point to some of you. Larry's dream came from who-knows-where and it's up to ya'll to decide, but Professor Fellowes' dreams are from his own guilty conscience.**

Chapter 17: "Home" Phillip Phillips

Ahk began asking his questions as he always did: with things he already knew. He had made it a nightly thing with Larry. They would go sit with the lions, who always responded well to Ahk, and he would remind himself of what he knew and ask about the things he didn't. A few things were beginning to stick. He could remember a name once it was told to him, but events were much trickier. He couldn't make them come back just by being told about them. It usually took a trigger, for example, eating a certain food (like pizza, which brought back several memories) or hearing someone say something familiar to him.

He had also taken to visiting the miniatures whenever his fear got overwhelming and he could barely think straight. One word with Jed or Lily Rose usually calmed him, and if that did not work, he talked to Octavius. The general's calm demeanor and polite conversation helped force Ahk to respond in kind.

"Why did you agree to let me go to Colorado?" Ahk had asked this question a hundred times, usually after asking something about the difference between the Museum and the "other place", since he couldn't really distinguish between the two in his memory. Larry would say that they had sent him to Colorado this many weeks ago and he had gotten back that many ago. But the night guard didn't seem to have a good answer for his other question.

"I've told you, Ahk," Larry said, sounding tired. "We thought it would be fine. The Tablet was supposed to be studied somewhere else, and you were fine with it. They were just going to photograph you during the day and leave you alone at night. We assumed we'd be helping people."

Ahk hated that reasoning. He'd been told that what he was being forced to endure was "to help other people" too many times already, and whenever the night guard said that he would look more closely at him, frustrated. Didn't Larry get it by now? He wasn't satisfied with his excuses; he wanted real answers.

"Larry," he began to say, then was interrupted by a weird chirping noise. He paused, confused, and then understood as Larry pulled his phone from his pocket.

"Hold on, please, Ahk? Hello, Larry Daley speaking." A moment of silence. "Oh, it's you." A long pause. Larry's expression darkened. "What does that have to do with me?" A shorter pause. "So? I'm a little busy right now, thank you." Larry waited, listening, then his mouth dropped open. Ahk crossed his arms over his chest protectively. "No! Absolutely not! Do you realize how – I mean," he went on, more quietly, glancing apologetically at the pharaoh. "No. Sorry, but I'm not risking your health or his just so you can sleep at night. Yes, I understand a whole week is bad." He rolled his eyes. "Would you shut up? Thank you. The answer is no and that's final." He went a long time without speaking then as whoever he was talking to ranted rather loudly. Ahk couldn't understand what he was saying. "I could talk to him, maybe," admitted Larry, sounding frustrated. "But I don't think…" Another pause. "Yes, yes, yes, I'll ask him. But I can't guarantee anything, and I absolutely forbid you to come unless I've told you if you can, and when you can. Until then you'll just have to put up with your nightmares. God knows you deserve them." Larry took the phone away from his ear and slipped it back into his pocket.

Ahkmenrah didn't ask who he'd been talking to. He just waited until Larry exhaled a long, tired sigh, then he stood. "I think we are done now, Mr. Daley. You seem to need a break."

"Wait, Ahk." The pharaoh paused, apprehensive, his back to the night guard.

"Yes?"

"That was Professor Fellowes that just called me."

His response was immediate. He felt his hands curling into fists on their own, his jaw clenching. He hated that man. More than anyone else he had ever known. He turned his head just slightly, to show he had heard.

"What did he want?"

"He, um… Well, he asked me to ask you something. You don't have to answer now, you don't have to say yes now or ever, just… he wonders if…"

"What?" Ahk's tone was sharper than he intended.

"He wants to come down here." Ahk spun around, his cloak billowing around him like it had a mind of its own.

"What?!"

"It's totally up to you if-" Ahk strode over to the night guard and grabbed his shoulders, hauling him to his feet so the shorter man had to look him in the face.

"Let me make something very clear to you, Larry Daley," he spat, staring into the other man's eyes fiercely. "Are you listening?"

"Um, yes?" Larry said, pushing Ahk's hands off his shoulders.

"Good." Ahk closed his eyes for a moment and, with an effort, controlled himself. "He is not coming here, not now and not ever. You shouldn't even have to ask me this!" He shook his head angrily. "Does that make sense to you, night guard, or do I need to write it down?"

"No, really, I get it Ahk. I do. I'll just tell him not to come. Although maybe you should think about it-" The pharaoh spat out an incredulous curse and Larry held up a hand. "-I don't mean he should come any time soon. But maybe it would help you if you saw him, worked a few things out maybe. He sounded pretty guilty. He's been having nightmares where he experiences the things you did, sort of."

Ahk laughed harshly. "I would call that justice, Mr. Daley. Let him keep dreaming. I don't care." He turned and walked out, his shoulders square, ignoring Larry's exasperated groan.

x

xx

_Alright, so _that_ went well_, Larry thought. He slumped a little as he watched Ahkmenrah go. He should have known to just wait and ask in a few weeks, when Ahk was doing even better. But no, like an idiot he'd plowed ahead and asked right away. He hurried out of the Hall of African Mammals, well aware that although the lions put up with him, they most certainly did not like him.

Hopefully he hadn't caused some sort of mental breakdown, although from Ahk's reaction he thought it would be fine. The pharaoh had been furious, yes, and probably scared, but he hadn't injured Larry and had been (sort-of) reasonable.

Larry sighed and decided to check on the cavemen. He hadn't kept a close enough eye on them last night and they had caught a Civil War puppet soldier on fire. Unfortunately, the faceless man had not made it, and Larry had had to throw away his charred remains.

So he hurried to the Neanderthal exhibit, crossing his fingers that none of them would be on fire or eating fire extinguisher foam or beating each other to death with clubs.

He was not particularly surprised, although he was disappointed, when he found them doing all three. The shortest, most hunched-over Neanderthal was alternatively spraying his tall friend with foam to put out the flames in his hair, and spraying the same foam into his own mouth. The third Neanderthal, who had black streaks of charcoal on his face, was whacking the flaming one with his stone and wood club, and he was lashing out at the black-faced one blindly with his fists.

Groaning, Larry took a deep breath and went into action. Darting into the exhibit and behind the caveman holding the fire extinguisher, her grabbed the nearly empty canister and took it away without much resistance. Suddenly all three Neanderthals were staring at him intently, the tallest patting at his head to put out the last sparks of fire.

"You guys should know better by now!" Larry said, waving his arms to get his point across. "I mean, you have thick skulls and are complete idiots, being cavemen, but you know by now that you are only supposed to do one thing at a time. You can't eat foam, burn up, and fight all at once. We've been over this. You have to pick one activity and do that, and once you're finished do something else." The Neanderthals looked down, muttering gibberish mutinously. "Guys, come on," Larry said, exasperated. "This is ridiculous."

Finally the hunched-over caveman grunted out what sounded like a grudging apology, and the other two reluctantly followed suit. Larry thanked them and left them arguing over what to do next, which led to a fight. Problem solved. If only it were so easy to help Ahk…

Larry was beginning to realize it was only a matter of time before Ahkmenrah returned to normalcy – at least, as much as he could after such a traumatic experience. As long as the exhibits kept behaving as they always did and no outsiders found their way into the building and ruined things, Ahk would recover. Larry was sure of it.

Of course, there were those nights when Ahk would suddenly freak out over a seemingly harmless gesture Larry made and take off back to his tomb, and the other nights where the smallest insult could set him off. On those nights, Larry kept him away from the miniatures and the animals, and Teddy and Sacagawea would talk to the young pharaoh while Larry walked the museum halls keeping things running smoothly. Jed and Octavius' bone mobile kept Rexy occupied, and Lewis, Clark, and Columbus started some kind of map-making, exploring, adventuring club thing that the Huns and Civil War puppets happily joined. The African mammals had even begun befriending the North American mammals a few days ago. Larry had never enjoyed his job so much, nor had he struggled with it so much. He was terrified that he would make a mistake now and ruin everything if he put one foot wrong.

But he really didn't need to be so concerned about it; he knew. Teddy told him that over and over and over. "Lawrence, you know how to do this job, so don't worry so much! You couldn't make things worse unless you were trying. And all the exhibits are doing their best to be helpful too. I'm sure our young pharaoh will return to normal soon enough, with or without our help." Larry knew the President was right, but it was so hard to really convince himself.

"Larry!" The night guard, startled out of his thoughts, stopped short, realizing that he had unknowingly made his way into the Hall of Miniatures. He glanced around and noticed a small cowboy standing on the benches in the middle of the hall.

"Yeah?" Walking over, Larry realized it was Jedidiah's friend Buck. "What do you need, Buck?"

"Well, Mr. Daley," said Buck casually, tilting his hat back on his head. "I need your help with somethin'."

"What?"

"It's about Miss Lily Rose. Jed think she's spendin' too much time out in the rest of the Museum and won't see reason about it. They've been fighting non-stop over it, and e'ery time Octavius tries ta help, Jed starts callin' him toga boy and any other hurtful name he can think of, tellin' him to stay out of it, and Miss Smith is no better. They ain't listenin' to reason from nobody, and it's drivin' us to distraction in there."

"Wonderful." Larry cursed his luck. Neanderthals, miniatures, crazy pharaohs… why couldn't he just have a normal office job? He strode over to the Wild West diorama. Bending down, he started hearing the yelling from somewhere…

"They're over by the train, sir," called Buck. Sure enough, there stood Jed next to his horse and Lily Rose next to hers, and they were yelling and carrying on like a pair of wild stallions. Larry groaned, then reached over and grabbed both of them by the backs of their shirts.

"Gigantor you put us down right now! This ain't no concern of yours!"

"Fer cryin' out loud, Larry! I won't stand fer this, ya hear me?!" Larry plonked them both down on the bench next to Buck, then went back to the diorama and found Octavius, who was standing around looking dejected and drinking water from his canteen.

"Come here, Octavius," he said, and held out a hand so his friend could climb on. The Roman did so, and Larry walked back to the benches. Jed and Lily Rose were glaring at each other but not talking.

"You two!" Larry exploded. "What the heck was that?! I have enough to deal with every night without you two getting into a fight like this! You're the leaders of your diorama and you're standing there arguing like you have nothing better to do!"

"This ain't your business, Gigantor, so why don't you stay out of it!" snapped Jed, blue eyes flashing. Octavius crossed his arms and scowled, and Buck looked unimpressed. Larry just snorted.

"It is my business! I was hired to keep this kind of thing from happening, remember? So what the heck are you even fighting about?!"

"Stupid here is tryin' ta tell me to stop leavin' the diorama so much!" snarled Lily Rose, her pretty face flushed with fury. "Like you don't leave every night and make me deal with our ranch on my own!"

"Because I have a job to do!"

"And I don't? Jedidiah Smith, yer a selfish, lazy old-timer and I'm tired of followin' orders from you! You ain't my pa, so stop tryin' to act like it! I'm only a year younger than you!"

"Would both of you just stop?!" Octavius interjected, marching over to stand between them, arms crossed over his armored chest. "You two are acting like children who don't know how to control themselves. Get it together!"

"Shut up, toga boy, and git out of my way!"

"I've had enough of this, Jedidiah. You can call me whatever you want, but it won't do you any good. Now both of you stop fighting and listen to Larry."

"Thanks, Octavius," said Larry quietly.

"No problem, my liege. Would you mind taking me back to my diorama? I need to oversee some drills that my men are going through."

"Sure, General," said Larry lightly. He was a little worried that Jed may have hurt Octavius' feelings while he was ranting and yelling, but he didn't want to ask.

Walking back to the bench, it seemed like both Smiths had calmed down somewhat, so Larry sank onto the bench and shook his head at both of them. "Alright, so Jed wants Lily Rose to stay in the diorama more because he doesn't want her to get hurt. Lily Rose doesn't want Jed trying to protect her and enjoys being out in the rest of museum. Did I get that right?" The two nodded. "That's simpler than I expected. Jed, who taught your sister how to take care of herself?"

"Sorta me. I mean, I taught her how to shoot and fight and drink and ride and lasso cows and things. The attitude comes natural to her though."

"So why are you so worried about her?"

"In case you hadn't noticed, Gigantor," Jed snapped. "We're pretty small. There's only so much we can do to protect ourselves against you big folks."

"I know that Jed, but why doesn't that bother you when you're out in the museum?"

"Cuz I like the danger. And I ain't an idiot, neither."

"If your sister is anything like you, she feels the same way. And I doubt she's an idiot. So what's the big deal? She's already getting good at driving the bone mobile."

"I know, I just…" Jed scowled and crossed his arms. "I hate it when yer right, Gigantor."

Lily Rose smirked, but Larry pointed at her. "I'm not done yet. Lily Rose Smith, would I be right in assuming that you haven't stayed in the diorama even one night over the past week?"

"Um, yeah?"

"That's ridiculous. You know even Jed doesn't go out that much. From now on you'll pick at least two nights a week to stay here. Okay?"

"Fine." She tossed her hair and scowled at the floor. After a minute though, she looked at Jed. "Yer a jerk."

"And yore a childish idiot." The two reluctantly hugged, and Larry sighed in relief.

"Just one more thing, you two."

"Yeah, Gigantor?"

"Did you two, um, say anything unusually hurtful to Octavius earlier?" Jed thought for a minute, then paled.

"Oh, shucks," he groaned. "I did, I know thet. I may have insulted his gods. And his clothes. And his weight."

"You did not!" Larry buried his face in his hands, frustrated. "You better get over to his diorama and apologize." Seeing Lily Rose's face, he added, "Don't even tell me. You better go too." Sighing, he picked them up on one hand and Buck on the other and set them down in the dioramas.

...

Larry was sitting, exhausted and frustrated, on a bench in the lobby when Ahk walked over to him, expression neutral.

"Hey, buddy," Larry said, tired. "Have a seat."

"I'd rather not, thank you." Ahkmenrah looked more closely at Larry. "Are you alright?"

"Not exactly," Larry said, rubbing his eyes with his hand and trying to smile. "This job can be very difficult."

"Hm," was all Ahk said, before sitting down on the bench, although as far away from the night guard as he could get.

"Did you want something?"

"Sort of."

Larry waited. Ahkmenrah would talk when he wanted to and not before.

"I'm confused. This museum… why are we all here? Is there a reason? I don't understand."

Larry was relieved. This was a question he could answer. "You're here to help people learn about the past. They come and look at everything, learning and exploring and having fun, and they can learn from the triumphs and mistakes of the people who lived a long time ago." Larry thought for a long moment, then added, "There's another reason too, Ahk. All of you belong here. This is your home."

The pharaoh stood up, brow furrowed thoughtfully. "Home…" He glanced at Larry. "Thank you, Larry Daley. That was all I wanted to know."


	20. Chapter 18: Parties and Plans

**The song "Home" by Phillip Phillips is now the theme song for this story. If you don't know it, go look up the lyrics or listen to it. It's an amazing song!**

**I took way longer than I planned to update. My apologies. I had to do a huge project for History, and my Valentines Day was really full with Fettuccine Alfredo and delicious cake, and then I had youth group on Sunday... Yeah, I was really busy. So finally I finished this chapter! Enjoy and please review!**

**_keacdragon_****: Thank you for being so supportive all the time! :)**

**_StarsforJazz_****: Wow. That's cruel of you. Thankfully, I want the same thing so yay us!**

**_Dragonninja-fan_****: Hi Ef! Nice to meet you! Don't worry, I'm a person just like you… wait. Nevermind. Thank you for liking my story though!**

Chapter 18: Parties and Plans

Nicky really wanted to have a party. Between being grounded and spraining his wrist (long story), he hadn't been able to go to the Museum for over two weeks and was excited to be going back tonight. But it seemed like Larry was determined to limit him to the locker room the whole time like he was a little kid.

"Come on, Dad! Just some ice cream and pizza, and maybe a dance party! Please!"

"No, Nicky. There's just too much that could go wrong with that."

"Daaaad…"

"Nick, stop complaining."

"Seriously, I can be the DJ! Ahk taught me how, so he wouldn't even have to come down, and you could order a bunch of pizza and forget the ice-cream! What's the big deal? You said he was doing better!"

"Not that much better."

"If he can't handle dancing and music and pizza then he's barely any better. Honestly, Dad, give it a chance!"

"Nicky, you know how the Huns can get at those parties."

"Then I won't play 'We Will Rock You' and they'll probably be okay." Larry buried his face in his hands, and Nick crossed his fingers.

"Come on, Daddy," he said in a pleading tone. Larry groaned.

"Fine. But you aren't allowed to play 'Everybody Dance Now' either."

"But it's so funny how the puppet soldiers break dance when I play that one!"

"No."

"Okay, fine." Nicky knew not to push his luck.

"And… maybe I'll get enough ice-cream for you and me and Teddy and Sacagawea and Ahk, but only if you don't tell anyone. And our three favorite miniatures can probably have some too."

"Three?"

"Yeah. Jed has a sister."

"That's scary."

"Tell me about it."

…

Nicky insisted on chocolate ice-cream. It was his personal belief that chocolate (any chocolate) could heal all ills. After the ice-cream, Ahk would be back to normal. No question. He carried the extra-large bucket in through the big doors in the back of the Museum and stashed it in the locker room freezer, then hurried out into the lobby, grinning.

"Nicholas! Good to see you, lad!" Teddy smiled broadly and walked over to the nine-year old, giving him a brief hug. "What are your plans for tonight?"

"We're going to have a dance party and pizza! Dad's ordering it now. I'm going to set up the laptop and the sound."

"How splendid! Well, I shall go find Sacagawea and tell her." Teddy smiled and walked off, a definite spring in his step.

Nicky smiled a little and stretched. "Hey Rexy!" he called. The dinosaur had just come in, chasing the bone mobile, and he stopped and tilted his head, tail wagging a little, as he stared at Nick. Then he lowered his head and walked over in what he probably thought was a stealthy manner until his breath ruffled Nick's hair. "Whatcha doing, boy?" Nicky asked, laughing. Rex pulled his head back, then suddenly roared full force in Nick's face. "Ok…" the boy said, rubbing his ear. "I think you've deafened me."

"Howdy, mini Gigantor! Whatcha doin' back?"

Nicky glanced down at the car that had just driven up. It was a brand new red truck, and Jed was wearing an equally bright red bandana as if to match. Octavius sat next to him as always in his armor and helmet, but he looked rather distant. "Hey guys! Dad finally un-grounded me, so here I am!"

"I'm very happy to see you, Nicholas!" called Ocky, finally smiling. He opening the passenger side door and got out of the truck, untangling his cape from his seatbelt. It wasn't long before Jed jumped out too, pulling off his hat and saluting to Nick.

"I missed ya fer sure, Nicky. You stayin' around fer a while yet?"

"You bet, Jed!"

"Who in tarnation is this? Jed, what're we doin'?"

Nicky may have taken a step back. He may have also almost tripped over Rex's tail. Because honestly, the tiny young lady that got out of the car right then intimidated him. He'd probably been reading too many comic books (think Avengers, the characters including the Black Widow among others) but Lily Rose clearly meant business. The combination of dusty cream hat and boots and spring green flannel shirt made her look ready to either wrestle a bull or dance with some handsome cowboy.

"Rose, this is Gigantor's kid Nicky. Nicky, meet my baby sis Lily Rose. Ow!"

Lily Rose grinned, having punched Jed in the shoulder, and curtseyed to Nicky. "I ain't yer baby sis, Jed! Hey, kid! Nice ta meet you I'm sure. How old are ya?"

"Nine."

"Splendid!" Rose winked at Ocky, who frowned a little and glanced away. "I'd be glad to hang out with you whenever you git bored with the company of these two clodhoppers. Seeyah later!" Before Jed could stop her, Lily Rose jumped into the truck, revved the engine and took off with squealing tires, Rexy's bone clattering along behind her.

"Aw, really?!" Jed looked ready to yell a few choice words, but thankfully remembered that Nicky was there.

"Your sister is scary."

"I know. Thet's probly my fault. She is related to me after all."

"She's certainly better looking, Jedidiah," Octavius snorted.

"I'm gonna ignore thet comment since I've said worse to you recently," Jed said, turning his head slightly away from Ocky, his face assuming a haughty, bored expression. Nicky laughed.

"Well, excuse me guys. I have to set up the PA mic with the laptop for a dance party."

"Will you play the song I pick first?"

"Sure, Jed."

"Yes! I love you, Nick!" yelled Jed, then laughed a little. "Like, as an annoying little brother, you know."

"Jed, you're an idiot," said Nicky cheerfully, picking both miniatures up and carrying them to the desk. Setting them down, he opened the laptop and surfed to YouTube. "Alright, as soon as everyone gets here, you can pick your song."

x

xx

Ahk did not come downstairs till almost half an hour after the party began – just in time to get pizza. Nicky was just starting the song 'Pompeii' by Bastille when Larry noticed Ahk coming down the stairs, glancing around uncomfortably.

As the beat started and 'the walls kept tumbling down', Columbus did some robot moves and the rest of the exhibits copied him. Attila swung his sword. Jed and Ocky danced on the desk next the laptop. Octavius, as the song went on, seemed to understand what it was saying, and confusion colored his tanned face. But he kept dancing.

Ahk also seemed to be understanding the song. Larry couldn't define it, but he thought maybe the music was affecting the pharaoh, not so much through the lyrics, but through the tune and the way the whole song had a bit of a sad tone to it. It was as if the music carried the emotion the artist wanted to convey, and Ahkmenrah was able to understand it. His face was thoughtful, maybe a bit pained.

Larry personally loved this song. The beat was amazing, it had real emotion in it, and Bastille had a fantastic style. The lyrics could be sad and haunting… it was amazing. But Ahk apparently wasn't sure how he felt about it. As he took a bite of his sausage pizza, his brow was furrowed, eyes troubled. Larry wondered over to him, not able to keep from stepping in time to the beat.

"Hey, Ahk," he said cheerfully, grabbing a piece of pepperoni for himself and taking a big bite. "Cool party, right?"

"Mm," Ahkmenrah said noncommittally. "What's this song about, Larry?"

"I don't know, exactly, Ahk. It's technically about this old Roman city that got completely destroyed in a volcano. But there's more to it, I think."

Ahk nodded and took another bite of the pizza. Larry grinned. He couldn't help it. He always wanted to laugh when he saw ancient historical rulers and soldiers eating modern food. They relished every bite and honestly looked hilarious. Especially when it was cheeseburgers.

"Does something amuse you, night guard?"

"Nope, no, definitely and absolutely not. Just want to dance. Thought you might like to know, too, that later Nicky and Teddy and Sacagawea and the miniatures and I are going to have ice-cream in the locker room. If you want to join us you can."

"Ice-cream?" Ahk asked, curious despite himself. Larry could tell how he felt by the way one eyebrow raised, his lips quirking into a tiny, amused smile, his eyes bright and a little wary, like… like he always used to look. Like he was comfortable with his surroundings. Only, Larry knew he wasn't, really.

"It's a sweet food that's really cold. You've had chocolate recently, right?"

"I don't believe so."

"Hmm, well, you're going to love it. Larry Daley's word of honor."

"Indeed." Nicky started playing a new song – 'Home' by Phillip Phillips. Larry listened for a minute, then a smile cracked his face.

"I think you'll like this song, too, Ahk," he said, then walked away and started dancing with Nicky.

**"****Settle down, it'll all be clear  
>Don't pay no mind to the demons that fill you with fear<br>The trouble it might drag you down  
>If you get lost, you can always be found<br>Just know you're not alone  
>'Cause I'm gonna make this place your home."<strong>

Glancing back, Larry saw Ahk's head tilted slightly to one side, his eyes half closed. He was unconsciously swaying back and forth just barely. Larry grinned. Apparently this song was effecting Ahk more positively than 'Pompeii' had.

Octavius was not dancing anymore. Larry noticed that he appeared a little hurt and a little angry and assumed the general was still upset about Jed's careless insults the other night. He'd have to discuss it with him later.

Larry nudged Nicky. "Turn the music up a bit, would you? Then after this play 'Wake Me Up' and we can go have ice-cream."

Nicky obliged, and Larry leaned against the desk and watched his friends – no, his family – having a good time. At the moment, it felt like nothing could possibly go wrong. He saw Ahk smiling as he took a huge bite of a piece of cheese pizza. Pizza, music, partying, chocolate ice-cream… Nick was right. This was a good idea after all.

x

xx

Professor Fellowes was dragged awake from yet another nightmare, his wife leaning over him and vigorously shaking his shoulders.

"Edwin, my dear," she murmured, her voice raspy from exhaustion. "This has to stop." The past few nights that week his dreams had been so violent and frightening that he had woken his wife up, thrashing around and crying in his sleep.

"I know, I know. I'm so sorry." He sank his face into his pillow, then sat up when that only made things worse. He headed downstairs for what had become his favorite remedy: chamomile tea with cream, the tiniest bit of sugar, and a piece of buttered toast. He sat down on the couch and curled up with his comforting snack, sipping at the calming herbal drink until his heart-rate began to steady and his eyelids grew heavy with sleepiness.

…

"Good morning, sweetheart," Edwin said, kissing his wife's cheek as he walked into the kitchen. She smiled at him, and the shadows under her eyes from lack of sleep disappeared for a moment. But only a moment. If Edwin had felt guilty when he called Larry last week, he felt twice as bad now.

"Hi. Have some more toast and fruit and don't forget to call Dr. Chadwick today and see about getting an appointment."

"Alright." Professor Fellowes thought for a minute, then sighed and took a bite of a banana. "Maggie, I've been thinking about making a trip to New York."

"New York? Whatever for?"

"Business. Plus, maybe the change of scenery will help with my, um, night terrors." Marguerite gave him a shrewd look. He knew that she knew that sometimes he pretended to be going on business trips so he could get some time alone. She kept telling him to just tell her when he needed a vacation and she wouldn't mind, but it made him feel like a terrible husband to do that. "I swear, Maggie, this time it really is a business trip. I have to visit that museum. You know, the one with the mummy I studied."

"Oh, is that where that musty old artifact was from? You couldn't stop talking about your discoveries for weeks thanks to it," teased his wife. "Well, you'd best wait till next week. I have multiple meetings this week. There's that one with my publisher to decide on the cover for my new book, and at least one for the school board. Not to mention the mayor's wife wants to hear my ideas on revitalizing downtown, which really doesn't interest me to be honest. Oh, and you have to set up and go to a doctor's appointment before you go anywhere."

Edwin laughed a little. "Yes ma'am. So what if I go next week, on Wednesday?"

"Alright. How long do you plan on staying?"

"It'll only be a few days. Time for me to get down there, see the museum on Wednesday night, and relax a little at Central Park and some of the other interesting places. Then I'll come back."

"Sounds like you have it all planned out! I'll tell you what, Ed-"

"Don't call me Ed, please."

Maggie chuckled. "If I let you go next week, you aren't allowed to see the Statue of Liberty. Because you and I are going to go down there sometime and see it together, okay?"

"Whatever you say, dear."

x

xx

Larry was right. Octavius was still upset. He kept trying to tell himself it was no big deal – after all, Jed had always had a fiery temper – but usually Jed's anger wasn't directed at him. At least, it hadn't been since they had almost died saving the Tablet from Cecil and the other guards. And honestly, Lily Rose's insults really hadn't hurt very much. Yes, he liked her a lot, but he didn't expect her to like him. Jedidiah and Buck and an older ranch hand named Terry were the only Westerners who actually enjoyed being around him. The others respected him, yes, but only because he was a general… and because of The Fight.

It had been unintentional, really. A few months ago they had been hanging out in the saloon. Jed had gotten drunk, which had been bad enough, but he had also started insulting people at random, including Octavius. Furious and slightly tipsy to boot, the Roman general had landed a heavy blow on Jed's jaw. In moments they were all-out fighting on the bar floor, punches flying. Octavius was slower but stronger, and since Jed was drunk his reaction time wasn't as good. Octavius had beaten him soundly, leaving the saloon's occupants stunned. Jedidiah Smith was never beaten.

Now, of course, Octavius had better control of himself, but just thinking about some of the things Jed had said to him made him want to beat his friend to a pulp again. Preferably while he wasn't drunk. He knew he was being stubborn – the cowboy had apologized many times – and he really wanted to forgive him, but it just wasn't easy.

"Hey, toga boy," whispered Jed just then, leaning closer to him as Nick started the last song. "Larry says we're gonna go have ice-cream in the locker room now, jist us and some of the other leaders. And Nicky. And Rose."

"Did he say what kind?" asked Octavius, smiling a little. He loved ice-cream.

"I dunno, but if'n Nicky chose it I'm willin' ta bet my best hat thet it's chocolate."

"Well, let's go." He paused. "And I'm going to drive the car."

"What?! Come on, Ocky! Thet's a brand new truck we got there!"

"All the more reason why I should drive. So you don't destroy it. besides, you owe me."

Jed muttered something that probably wasn't flattering, but Octavius just chuckled. _Sweet revenge_, he thought, sliding into the front seat and revving the engine.


	21. Chapter 19: Monday

**This chapter is really just a short filler chapter, and so is the next one. I am anxious to get to Professor Fellowes' visit, and I'm sure none of you can blame me. I feel like such a terrible person though.**

**You'll all have to be content to wait for a longer chapter for a few days BWAHAHA!**

**I should also warn all of you that I will be much slower updating than usual. I've started writing an Avengers fanfic and so that may take up some of my time.**

**snowflakeangel21: Don't you wish I would tell you? ;)**

**wolfsbane212: Thank you sooo much! I try to keep my grammar in line so good to know it's working. I feel very flattered!**

**Dragonninja-fan: Hmmm interesting thought. Ef doesn't talk a lot, does he?**

**TheThiaForce: I will try out your idea, I think… you may never see it because I might end up hating how I write it, but it would be interesting. Thank you!**

Chapter 19: Monday

Two nights until Professor Fellowes would arrive, and none of the exhibits even knew it. Two more nights before they would all get the shock of their lives.

The jackals were concerned about their pharaoh. His sarcophagus had apparently not been unlocked on this night, because there were screams and shouts coming from inside… and they were unable to reach him. No one had come to get him out, but it was only a matter of time. They did not want to just leave and try to get help; their job was to guard the tablet and the pharaoh at all costs.

Still no one came. The jackals tried to reach through the small door, but their huge, clumsy fingers could not open the lid without breaking it. They looked at each other, then the younger one bared his teeth in a snarl and left the tomb. His heavy footsteps reverberated through the museum as he walked onto the balcony, staring out over the lobby where the strange bony animal chased the small bug-thing and the other people wandered around talking quietly. He opened his mouth and let out a deep, echoing howl.

x

xx

Sacagawea was the first to respond. The aching sound, much like the timber wolf cry she knew so well, made her leap to her feet and run. The exhibits in the lobby were all pointing at the jackal on the balcony, nervously shuffling their feet (or wings, or whatever they had) and whispering. Sacagawea ignored them and darted up the stairs.

"What is it?" she said to the giant statue. The guard bent his head respectfully and pointed back the way he had come. Sacagawea could now vaguely hear the all-to-familiar sound of Ahk panicking in his coffin. Turning, she saw Teddy coming up the stairs behind her.

"Theodore, go get Larry please." The President, recognizing her serious tone, spun around and hurried back down the stairs. "You've done well," she told the jackal, who growled low in his throat. Then she hurried into the tomb.

As she got closer to the sarcophagus, the noises grew louder and more insistent. Sacagawea knocked on the lid, causing the sounds to cease for just a second; she knocked again, and there was lingering silence.

"Ahk, we'll get you out soon, alright?" she said gently, then started unlatching the box as quickly as she could. As the last lock clicked free, she pushed the lid away and Ahkmenrah exploded out of the coffin and ran to the opposite side of the room, watching her with panicked eyes. "It's okay, your highness," she said softly. He shuddered and glanced away, and she thought she saw his eyes fill with tears.

"What… why was I…" He stopped and buried his face in his hands, taking long, shallow breaths.

"It was an accident, Ahkmenrah. We don't know what happened." She came up to him and cautiously slipped an arm around his shoulders. He stiffened, and his breathing sped up. She held him tightly, murmuring the words to an old Shoshone lullaby in his ear like she used to do with her baby. "It'll be okay, Ahk," she murmured.

The spell was broken as Teddy and Larry's heavy footsteps were heard entering the tomb; Ahk struggled out of Sacagawea's embrace and huddled in a corner, staring fearfully – and angrily – at the two men.

"Gosh, Ahk, I'm so sorry," Larry said, hurrying over. Sacagawea gave him a warning look, which he promptly ignored. She sighed in exasperation. "I told Teddy to unlock the sarcophagus because I had to deal with a situation, and he didn't hear me. I thought someone had let you out already. I swear on my life that we didn't leave you in there on purpose."

Ahkmenrah's eyes darted between the three others in the room frantically, as if trying to decide what to believe. "Larry's telling the truth," Sacagawea said gently, crouching down next to him and putting a light hand on his shoulder. He shuddered but did not pull away. Carefully she pulled him into a hug, slipping his crown off and setting it on the floor next to him. His head dropped onto her shoulder, and his back heaved with his panicked breaths.

Gradually he calmed down enough that he sat up and leaned against the wall, trying to act as if nothing had happened. Everything was quiet for a moment. Larry's face was full of guilt and concern; Sacagawea tried to reassure him with a glance.

"Ahk," he began, softly. "Ahk, I promise I would never leave you in there on purpose. I swear on my life, on your gods, your crown, whatever. I wouldn't do that to you. Ever."

"It was… a mistake." Ahkmenrah stated, although Sacagawea could see the question in his eyes.

"Yes, Ahk. I thought Teddy had let you out, but he didn't hear me tell him to get you out, so we both thought that it was already done. I'm so, so sorry."

Ahk stood and picked up his crown, carefully replacing it on his head. He took a deep breath, and closed his eyes for a second. When he opened them, all traces of his fear had disappeared, replaced with a thin veneer of calm. "If you will excuse me," he said, and walked out of his tomb. Sacagawea exchanged worried glances with Larry and Teddy.

x

xx

Ahk was fine, mostly. His heart rate was decreasing. He was still half-panicked. Small noises made him jump. As the night wore on he began to get more comfortable, but he would often give Larry and Teddy narrow looks while they weren't looking, to see if it had really been an accident. For the most part, he thought it was.


	22. Break

**Okay guys, I really hate to do this to ya'll. I'm sooo sorry. But I feel like I need to take a break from the fanfiction. It's taking up too much of my time and I really want to write a few stories of my own. Like, with characters and settings that I come up with. **

**So, basically I'm going on hiatus. Might be a few weeks, might be a month, I have no idea. But basically I won't be writing on any of my stories (except for my co-written one) for a while. I know, it's really bad timing, what with Professor Fellowes being about to visit and all.**

**So, you can send me death threats and stuff. I won't get mad. You can also send me suggestions for what to do after the Professor has come and gone, because I've already decided how Ahk's going to respond. **

**So yeah. Sorry guys. I love you, and I can't believe I've gotten over 200 reviews! :D Thanks so much!**

**Bye for now.**


	23. Chapter 20: Tuesday

**I'm baaaack! And guess what? I just started taking guitar lessons! So I'm even busier than I was before! But I'm happy. I'm back sooner than I planned to be. Which I guess is good? Yeah. But, updates will be slower than normal, probably. ****I'll try to usually post two chapters at a time, though, so that should be fun.**

**I just finished watching NatM3 again, and I've been reminded how much I like Ahk, so the next chapter will be so painful to write...**

**I'm so excited that I have OVER 200 REVIEWS! You guys are the best! Love you all! You may choose your imaginary prize: a dozen chocolate chip cookies, a magical unicorn, or an Ironman suit!**

Chapter 20: Tuesday

One more night. None of them saw it coming, none of them knew what would happen. Oh, the irony.

...

Ahk sat with Larry in the Hall of African Mammals, thinking. He had run out of questions to ask for the night, and now he just wanted to rest and try to figure a few things out. He still didn't understand how if the other exhibits and the night guard really cared about him they could let someone Professor Fellowes experiment on him. He found himself gripping his right hand with his left very tightly, his nails digging into his own skin. He eased his grip a little and closed his eyes with a groan. He reached up and pulled his crown off, tossing it bitterly to one side, and tried to marshal his thoughts.

He thought back as far as he could. Beyond the pain and the sickness and bitterness, there were only fragments. A soccer game, pizza, a birthday party with chocolate ice cream and rainbow sprinkles, being released for the first time, snow, a song about love... The fragments didn't fit together or make sense. They were comforting, but at the same time they gave him a headache. There were a hundred missing pieces. He knew he was a pharaoh, raised in Egypt, and that his Tablet brought him to life every night, along with the other exhibits. He knew how to use the Tablet and he remembered how he had died. But he couldn't picture his mother's face or recall why the name "Cecil Fredericks" made him angry.

Sighing, he looked up as a gentle hand descended on his shoulder. Larry's gaze was sharp and knowing, almost severe. Ahk tried to shrug off his hand, but the night guard did not move. "Ahkmenrah, I need to tell you something."

"What is it, Larry?" he asked, uncomfortable. He stood up suddenly, crossing his arms.

"I think it might help you if you stopped focusing on the past so much. Either you'll get those memories back or you won't, and that's it. You have to let it go and move on."

"And how do you suggest I do that?" demanded Ahk, more harshly than he intended.

Larry sighed. "I don't know."

They both fell silent, and the young pharaoh started tracing patterns on the floor. A lioness stalked over and lay down next to his feet. Smiling, Ahkmenrah reached over and stroked the animal's ears, her purring growing louder.


	24. Chapter 21: Walls Came Tumbling Down

Chapter 21: And the Walls Came Tumbling Down

Professor Fellowes checked himself into his hotel room at exactly half past three on Wednesday evening. He organized his suitcases and took a nice hot shower before going to take a nap. When he woke up at 5:00, he combed out his hair, put on a casual suit and his spectacles, and headed out the door to catch a taxi. He grabbed a bite to eat at a nice Italian restaurant and headed to the museum. He refused to think about the possibility that his plan could backfire. And even if he had thought about it, his shallow, logical brain could never have fathomed how badly things could go awry.

...

Arriving at the museum at three past six, he climbed out of the taxi, straightened his suit, and walked up the familiar front steps, the rosy light of sunset making the old museum look mysterious. He went in the front door and looked around. There were still plenty of visitors there, so he mingled with the crowd and took a look at everything in the museum. By the time the announcement came over the PA system that the museum was closing, he was hiding (he never would have called it that, but when one doesn't have permission to be somewhere and doesn't want to be caught, it's called hiding) in a little-used utility closet.

He waited about fifteen minutes before the first roar sounded, and about ten more before he couldn't stand the small dark space any longer. He stumbled out of the closet and again fixed his hair and cleaned his now-dusty spectacles. Composing himself, he walked through the halls until he was back in the lobby. he gaped at the exhibits moving around him. He never would have guessed... it was amazing! However, sighting a familiar figure made him forget his shock. When the night guard, in turn, saw him, his face turned red and he scowled. Edwin gulped, but put on a cheery smile and waved. "Hello, Mr. Daley!"

x

xx

Larry couldn't believe his eyes. No way had the Professor just ignored him and come to visit. No way was that the bastard himself standing in **his** lobby, smiling like nothing was wrong. He marched over, fuming.

"Professor, what the hell are you doing here?" he said, eyes blazing.

"I came to see how the pharaoh was."

"I told you he didn't want to see you! Why didn't you listen to me? You turn your sorry butt around and get out of my museum! I don't care how much it cost you to come here, I want you gone and I want you gone now. Ahk is getting better and I do NOT need you coming in and destroying what little progress we've made!"

"If you would just give me a chance to explain, Mr. Daley. I'm sure it's nothing serious. I'll just apologize and go, yes?"

"No!" Larry stepped into the Professor's personal space and stared down at him, fists clenched. "You'll leave right out that front door, and so help me, if you don't do it now I'll have Teddy escort you out on the point of his sword. Am I cl-"

A set of hesitant footsteps suddenly invaded Larry's ears like the tread of the Fates themselves. He spun around and saw - go figure - Ahkmenrah. The Pharaoh's expression shifted from terrified to furious to confused and back again all in a moment.

"What is this, Larry?" he asked. His lilting voice shook.

"It's nothing, Ahk, this guy here is just intruding on museum property and I was just about to see him out."

"Larry, I've forgotten a lot of things, but I know who this is. Why is he here?"

"I'm sorry, buddy, really, but he's not supposed to be here. He came on his own after I told him not to. I promise I was just about to kick him out."

Ahk's eyes darted between the two men. Larry could see his chest rising and falling rapidly with his breathing. "I don't... I..." He shook his head and clenched his fists. He looked back up and his eyes were full of tears, but whether they were tears of anger or fear, Larry didn't know. "Get. Him. Out." His words grated in his throat.

Larry nodded and turned on the Professor, practically spitting in his fury. "I'll give you exactly five minutes to explain yourself, and then if I ever see you again I will make you sorry."

Fellowes cleared his throat. "Well, I've been having these nightmares. I'm trapped in a tiny space that only gets smaller, and I can't get out. No one will _let me out_. And sometimes I'm sick and nauseous and sometimes I'm bleeding and the blood doesn't stop, and sometimes I have broken bones, I think, or maybe just bruises. And it's always dark and there are people laughing, and... and that's most of the things that happen."

"So? It's no more than you deserve." snarled Ahk harshly. The tear tracing its lonely way down his cheek gave the lie to his careless posture.

"Maybe not. But I need them to stop. They've been going on for weeks now, and they're ruining my usefulness at work."

"Maybe that's a good thing," hissed Ahkmenrah, stalking forward, eyes burning. Larry thought about stopping him, but he didn't. "What do you do at this job of yours? Do you usually ruin people's lives or is that just a hobby of yours?"

"I don't - I didn't-"

"I hate you!" Ahk was crying even more, so tense it seemed he might explode. "I swear to all the gods if you don't leave now I will kill you!"

Larry stepped forward and wrapped his arms around Ahk, but the pharaoh jerked away, snarling, "Leave me alone! Don't touch me!" He turned and ran up the stairs, disappearing into his tomb. Larry hesitated, then followed. Half the exhibits in the museum were already doing the same, clearly worried about their young pharaoh.

x

xx

Ahkmenrah tripped as he entered his tomb and crashed to the floor, scraping his forearm painfully. Shaking and furious, he pulled himself to his feet and staggered over to the display where his clothes, crown, and weapons were displayed. Stripping out of his cloak, gauntlets, and collar, he dumped them into the display carelessly before slumping and pressing his hands fiercely against his eyes. He hated Professor Fellowes. He had not been bluffing when he said he would kill him. Even now he wanted to. He took down one of his daggers, almost without meaning to, and examined it. His hands were shaking. He was sick of being so helpless. He was sick of not knowing how he should feel or what he should do. He was sick of forcing others to take care of him. And he was so, so sick of the pain. All the physical pain had gone a long time ago, but the emotional trauma had only retreated and been forced into hiding, and now it was facing him head on like a vicious beast. He didn't know what he could do to get rid of it. He tightened his hold on the knife, staring at its shining surface as if it held the answers to everything. Maybe it did.

Ahk closed his eyes and tried to let go of the weapon. He had to get control of himself. Everything would be fine; the other exhibits shouldn't have to see him like this. He felt, for a moment, as if dropping the dagger was impossible, but he managed to force his fingers to open. He slowly crumpled to the floor. He was falling apart and there was nothing he could do to hold himself together.

He slammed his head against the floor, hard, but he was too caught up with his inner conflict to notice. He curled in on himself and tried to calm down. Then something soft and sturdy pressed against him, and without thinking he grabbed at it, his hands closing around long, thick fur. He whimpered and tried to pull himself closer to the comforting warmth. A hand stroked his forehead, and dimly he heard someone murmuring his name. He tried to get even closer to whatever he was holding onto. Something curled up against his ankles, and he felt it purring. He finally stopped trying to think and let his emotions pour out freely. His sobs ripped through his chest, causing his whole body to heave and shake.

He didn't know how long he spent crying on the floor. It didn't really matter. What did matter was that whoever was comforting him didn't pause, didn't go away. He slowly stopped shaking and buried his face in his hands, humiliated that he had suffered a breakdown like that. The hand on his head grew more gentle, if that was possible, and the quiet voice grew clearer.

"It's okay, Ahk." He thought it was Larry talking. "I'm so sorry, buddy. Everything will be okay. Just calm down. I understand. It's okay." Ahk cautiously opened his eyes, and slowly pulled his hands away from his face.

Much to his surprise, Larry was not the only one kneeling next to him. Sacagawea, Attila, Teddy, Lewis and Clark, Dexter, the lions, Columbus, and the Civil War puppet soldiers all surrounded him. It was not threatening, really, as most had expressions of concern on their faces, so Ahkmenrah slowly sat up, trying to force a mask onto his own face to hide his humiliation and pain.

"Don't do that," murmured Larry softly, recognizing his expression. "It's okay to be human sometimes."

"If this is being 'human', then I've been human far too often lately."

"Let us help, Ahk," pleaded Larry. "Tell us how you feel."

He sighed and shook his head. "You don't want to know."

"No!" Teddy said vehemently. "We care about you, lad. It hurts to see you like this, and we want to help. Please help us help you."

Ahk felt like he was standing on a cliff: if he jumped, there would be no going back. He bent his head. "I... I feel lost. Not just a little lost, but like I'll never be free from... from... I guess from the pain. I've failed my father. Everything he tried to teach me, my whole life, I've forgotten it, left it behind. I wake up every night and wish I didn't, because I don't know who I am. Do any of you know what that feels like? To have lost everything that makes you who you are? I am made of pain and cruelty because that's all that I remember. Something is broken, something is missing, and I can't find myself. And I want to kill the Professor," he choked on his words "And I know, I _know_ that that's not me. I'm not like that. How can I be?" He pressed a hand to his forehead, closing his eyes. "What's wrong with me?" he whispered.

"It's not your fault, Ahkmenrah," said Sacagawea gently.

"It is!" he shouted, suddenly convinced. "It must be!"

"No," said a different, accented, voice, low and thick with emotion. "It's not. It's mine."

Everyone whipped around to glare at Professor Fellowes, who stood in the doorway, fidgeting. Ahkmenrah scowled and stood, although he felt his legs tingling and he swayed unsteadily. Larry and Teddy both put their hands on his shoulders, and their support braced him. "What do you mean?" Ahk said angrily.

"I came here for selfish reasons. I know that. I still didn't think you were... I mean, I didn't want to believe you were human. Alive. Uh, I guess, uh... I thought you didn't have the same emotions we did. I thought your emotions didn't matter. I... I don't know what I thought. I had a lot of excuses. I was just going to leave but... something made me stay and follow them upstairs. And I... I don't feel sorry for you, no. You don't need my pity, and I doubt you want it either. After all, I did this to you." Edwin took a deep breath, looking embarrassed. "And I should probably add that most ordinary people would not have held up nearly so well as you have. You aren't at fault. And you aren't pathetic. It was entirely my fault, and I do apologize." He looked down and scuffed his foot on the floor like a small child caught stealing from the cookie jar.

Something tight and painful in Ahk's chest snapped. He wiped a hand across his face. Facing Fellowes was painful. It made his emotions go insane. But it felt right, too, like coming full circle. "I cannot forgive you, because what you have done is unforgivable."

The Professor's dull gray eyes met his brown ones, and Ahk understood that the scientist really was sorry, and that he knew what a monstrous thing he'd done. The man had expected no forgiveness, and he expected no mercy now. Ahkmenrah walked back to where he had left the dagger earlier. Picking it up, he turned it in his fingers. It looked darker and deadlier now. He looked up at the Professor, who had blanched, and down at the weapon, and knew with a wonderful certainty that he could not kill him, and that he would not make it his job to decide when someone would die. He lowered the blade and let it fall to the floor.

"You should go now," suggested Ahk, almost eerily calm.

"Yes. I won't bother any of you again," agreed Fellowes, turning to go.


End file.
